The ** Dryococelus Australis ** is one of the rarest insects that exist and belongs to the family of the popularly known as "stick insects". Although it has a rather peculiar anatomy, which we will describe later, the most extravagant about this animal is that it was resurrected from extinction and the way it did it.
This species was declared extinct in 1920. The Dryococelus was originally from Lord Howe Island, which belongs to the Australian state of New South Wales and is located about 600 km east of the mainland island. The first sailors who settled there at the end of the 19th century named it Sea Lobster, Tree Locust or Lord Howe's Stick Bug, and used it as bait in their fisheries. But with the arrival of man, the beings that caused its extinction also arrived: the rats. The last specimens were seen in Lord Howe in 1918 and the species was declared extinct in 1920.
In 2001, a group of scientists arrived at the ** Ball Pyramid **, a rocky cliff that emerged from the seabed more than 6 million years ago and belongs to the volcanic shield of the Pacific, with the objective of studying its flora and fauna. The gigantic pyramidal rock is located 20 km southeast of Lord Howe.
Surprisingly, the researchers found about 24 specimens of Dryococelus Australis under a bushes located in a crack of 6X30 meters at about 100 meters above sea level. Already since 1969, a sighting of the tree locust had been rumored, but it had not been proven.
The rare insect has a hard exoskeleton that looks like wood, and the coloration can vary from black to brown, and even green. The males have hind legs much longer and thicker than the females. Their antennae are also thicker, although their abdomens are narrower than these. However, the females are longer, reaching about 15 cm. This insect is completely herbivorous.
After the incredible find of 2001, scientists have managed to reproduce several hundred captive specimens. This caused their status to change to an endangered species. Since then, Australian authorities have limited licenses for climbers visiting the island.
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