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A bright green female jungle nymph stick insect on leaves.
Photo: Acrocynus, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

Jungle Nymph

Heteropteryx dilatata

A big, thorny, leaf-green stick insect of tropical rainforests whose females snap their spiny back legs together in defense.

🐞 Insects
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About the Jungle Nymph

Jungle nymphs, also called giant thorny walking sticks, live in tropical rainforests and eat bramble, oak and other leaves. Females are bright light green and about 7 inches long, with thorn-like spines that make them look like spiny plants. Males are brown, about 4 inches long and can fly. Jungle nymphs are quiet by day and active at night.[1]

Quick facts

Scientific name
Heteropteryx dilatata[1]
Size
Females about 7 inches; males about 4 inches.[1]
Diet
Herbivore. Bramble, oak and other leaves.[1]
Habitat
Tropical rainforest.[1]
Group life
Nocturnal.[1]
Conservation status
Common; not endangered. Not assessed by the IUCN.[1]

Fun facts

  • Females snap their spiny hind legs together to pinch attackers.[1]
  • Females hiss by rubbing their small wings.[1]
  • Some walking sticks can lay eggs that hatch into clones of themselves.[1]

Vocabulary

parthenogenesis
Reproduction by a female without a male.
phasmid
A stick or leaf insect.
clone
A living thing that is an exact genetic copy of another.
nocturnal
Active mainly at night.
camouflage
Colors, patterns or shapes that help an animal blend in.

See it in person

Sources

  1. [1] San Francisco Zoo & Gardens. “Thorny Phasmids.” https://www.sfzoo.org/thorny-phasmids/ (accessed 2026-10-02)

Facts last checked 2026-10-02.

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