A large brown New Guinea walking stick resting on a person's hand. — Photo: Greg Hume, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons

New Guinea Walking Stick

Eurycantha calcarata

A big, bulky, spiny stick insect from New Guinea that looks like a piece of bark and hides in groups by day.

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About the New Guinea Walking Stick

New Guinea walking sticks are big and bulky, more like a branch than a twig. They are light brown to black, wingless and covered in spines. Females reach about 5.5 inches and males about 4 inches. They live in warm, humid rainforests of Papua New Guinea, the Solomon Islands and New Caledonia, and eat leaves like eucalyptus, ficus, bramble, raspberry, rose and guava.^[1]

Quick facts

Scientific name: Eurycantha calcarata^[1]
Size: Females up to about 5.5 inches; males up to about 4 inches.^[1]
Lifespan: 1 to 2 years.^[1]
Diet: Herbivore. Leaves such as eucalyptus, ficus, bramble, raspberry, rose and guava.^[1]
Habitat: Warm, humid rainforest.^[1]
Where it lives: Papua New Guinea, the Solomon Islands and New Caledonia.^[1]
Group life: Nocturnal; rests in groups by day.^[1]
Babies: Over 100 eggs.^[1]
Conservation status: Not evaluated by the IUCN.^[1]

Fun facts

Bats aren't fooled by stick insect camouflage.^[1]
Females can lay eggs without males.^[1]
It's also called the thorny devil stick.^[1]

Vocabulary

parthenogenesis: Reproduction by a female without a male.
camouflage: Colors or patterns that help an animal blend in.
phasmid: A stick or leaf insect.
nocturnal: Active mainly at night.
insect: A small animal with six legs and a body in three parts: head, thorax and abdomen.

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. “New Guinea Walking Stick.” https://www.oaklandzoo.org/animals/new-guinea-walking-stick/ (accessed 2026-10-02)

Facts last checked 2026-10-02.

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