Black Beauty Walking Stick

Peruphasma schultei

A critically endangered black stick insect with yellow eyes and red wings, found in the wild in one tiny patch of Peru.

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About the Black Beauty Walking Stick

Black beauty walking sticks are black with small bright red wings and striking yellow eyes. Females are about 2 inches long and males about 1.5 inches. In the wild they live in an area of Peru smaller than 13 acres, and they eat only pepper-tree leaves there. In zoos they eat privet, Japanese laurel and honeysuckle.^[1]

Quick facts

Scientific name: Peruphasma schultei^[1]
Size: Females about 2 inches; males about 1.5 inches.^[1]
Lifespan: About 1 year in human care.^[1]
Diet: Herbivore. Pepper-tree leaves in the wild.^[1]
Habitat: Grassland and forest.^[1]
Where it lives: A tiny area of Peru, under 13 acres.^[1]
Group life: Nocturnal.^[1]
Babies: Up to 50 eggs in a season.^[1]
Conservation status: Critically Endangered (IUCN Red List, assessed 2018).^[2]

Fun facts

Its whole wild range is smaller than 13 acres.^[1]
It sprays a smelly liquid to scare predators.^[1]
Its wings are bright red.^[1]

Vocabulary

parthenogenesis: Reproduction by a female without a male.
irritant: Something that causes itching, burning or stinging.
vestigial: Still present but no longer used for its original job.
insect: A small animal with six legs and a body in three parts: head, thorax and abdomen.
critically endangered: A conservation label meaning a species faces an extremely high risk of dying out in the wild.

See it in person

Oakland ZooOakland, California · Children's ZooSee this animal on the zoo's website ↗

These zoos had this animal when we gathered our information, but animals sometimes move. Check the zoo's website or contact the zoo before you visit.

Sources

[1] Oakland Zoo. “Black Beauty Walking Stick.” https://www.oaklandzoo.org/animals/black-beauty-walking-stick/ (accessed 2026-10-02)
[2] IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. “Peruphasma schultei (Golden-Eyed Stick Insect).” https://www.iucnredlist.org/species/127947407/127947412 (accessed 2026-10-02)