A new giant insect was found in Australia

A new insect has been discovered in the Australian forests. It weighs about 44 grams and grows up to 40 centimeters.

The photo shows a new species of stick insect, Acrophylla alta, which was found on the Atherton Tableland in northern Queensland. It grows to 40 cm in length and weighs slightly less than a golf ball - 45 grams. According to scientists, the stick insect exceeds the previous record holder, the giant burrowing cockroach, in mass. Professor Angus Emmott noted that the discovery was made possible thanks to... a post on social networks.

The scientists saw a photo of the insect and immediately assumed that it could be a new species. After searching for many days, the researchers managed to catch a large female. Emmott explained that the insect had not been found before due to its hard-to-reach habitat. The scientist suggested that its large size helps stick insects survive in cool and humid forest conditions.