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A brown, spiky giant prickly stick insect curling its tail on a log.
Photo: Rosa Pineda, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Giant Prickly Stick Insect

Extatosoma tiaratum

A spiky Australian stick insect, also called the Australian walking stick, that curls its tail up like a scorpion to scare predators.

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About the Giant Prickly Stick Insect

Giant prickly stick insects live in Australia's tropical forests and eat eucalyptus leaves. Females grow about 8 inches long and are covered in thorn-like spikes for defense and camouflage. Males are smaller and thinner, about 4 inches, with spikes only around the head, and they have long wings and fly well.[1]

Quick facts

Scientific name
Extatosoma tiaratum[1]
Size
Females about 8 inches; males about 4 inches.[1]
Diet
Herbivore. Eucalyptus leaves.[1]
Habitat
Tropical forest.[1]
Where it lives
Australia.[1]
Conservation status
Common; not endangered. Not assessed by the IUCN.[1]

Fun facts

  • It strikes a scorpion pose to scare predators.[1]
  • Its defensive smell has been compared to peanut butter or toffee.[1]
  • Males can fly, but females can't.[1]

Vocabulary

stick insect
An insect whose long, thin body looks like a twig.
sexually dimorphic
Having males and females that look different.
camouflage
Colors, patterns or shapes that help an animal blend in.
eucalyptus
A kind of Australian tree with oily, strong-smelling leaves.
insect
A small animal with six legs and a body in three parts: head, thorax and abdomen.

See it in person

Sources

  1. [1] San Francisco Zoo & Gardens. “Australian Walking Stick.” https://www.sfzoo.org/australian-walking-stick/ (accessed 2026-10-02)

Facts last checked 2026-10-02.

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