# Giant black tree lobsters the rarest insect in the world **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [February 15, 2016, 5:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/giant-black-tree-lobsters-the-rarest-insect-in-the-world/746187 "2016-02-15T05:10:07Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![astro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/9dc877/32.png) [@astro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astro)\ **Post date:** [February 15, 2016, 5:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/giant-black-tree-lobsters-the-rarest-insect-in-the-world/746187/1 "2016-02-15T05:10:07Z")
Interesting article (link below) here about these huge, fascinating insects also brought up an interesting second article about the attempts to get rid of rats and mice from Howe island. The “rarest insect in the world” also happens to be freaking enormous > [@](#): > > About thirteen miles southeast of Lord Howe sits another island, named “Ball’s Pyramid,” that would look right at home on the cover of a Tintin comic. It was here, about halfway up the island’s precipitous, 1800-foot-high slope, that researchers discovered what is believed to have been one of the last bastions of tree-lobsterdom in the entire world: a collection of two dozen of the enormous black insects, huddled beneath the shelter of a single bush . [The Lord Howe Island Rat Eradication Programme](http://tasmaniantimes.com/index.php/article/the-lord-howe-island-rat-eradication-programme) ---
**Author:** ![running\_coach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/running_coach/32/15836_2.png) [@running\_coach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/running_coach)\ **Post date:** [February 15, 2016, 5:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/giant-black-tree-lobsters-the-rarest-insect-in-the-world/746187/2 "2016-02-15T05:22:24Z")
Your article is from 2012 Good news, though. [Meet The Tree Lobster, Back From The Brink](http://www.npr.org/sections/thetwo-way/2016/02/11/465781993/love-giant-insects-meet-the-tree-lobster-back-from-the-brink) ---
**Author:** ![mage-girl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/cc9497/32.png) [@mage-girl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mage-girl)\ **Post date:** [February 15, 2016, 6:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/giant-black-tree-lobsters-the-rarest-insect-in-the-world/746187/3 "2016-02-15T18:37:43Z")
> [@running\_coach](#): > > Your article is from 2012 > > Good news, though. > [Meet The Tree Lobster, Back From The Brink](http://www.npr.org/sections/thetwo-way/2016/02/11/465781993/love-giant-insects-meet-the-tree-lobster-back-from-the-brink) Oh dear God you have got to be kidding me!!! :eek: Puts the giant flying cockroaches in Hawaii to shame… ---
**Author:** ![Sunny\_Daze](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sunny_daze/32/438_2.png) [@Sunny\_Daze](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sunny_Daze)\ **Post date:** [February 15, 2016, 8:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/giant-black-tree-lobsters-the-rarest-insect-in-the-world/746187/4 "2016-02-15T20:23:30Z")
Dear Og - why? The skin on my back is still crawling to get away from that image. I was at least hoping for something edible… Yes, I’m sure they’re technically edible, but where are the claws!? I need tree lobsters with claws! ---
**Author:** ![dracoi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/90db22/32.png) [@dracoi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dracoi)\ **Post date:** [February 15, 2016, 8:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/giant-black-tree-lobsters-the-rarest-insect-in-the-world/746187/5 "2016-02-15T20:31:58Z")
They look like they could be fun pets. I had stick insects of a different variety for a while when I was a kid. As for the rat eradication program: Good luck on that one, guys. Better nuke it from orbit to be sure. ---
**Author:** ![Sunny\_Daze](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sunny_daze/32/438_2.png) [@Sunny\_Daze](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sunny_Daze)\ **Post date:** [February 15, 2016, 8:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/giant-black-tree-lobsters-the-rarest-insect-in-the-world/746187/6 "2016-02-15T20:33:52Z")
No, no, no. Introduce yet another non-native animal. That never goes wrong! There must be some sort of snake, or, hey, even the house cat that would do marvelously at eradicating the rats. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Doctor\_Jackson](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/doctor_jackson/32/32_2.png) [@Doctor\_Jackson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Doctor_Jackson)\ **Post date:** [February 15, 2016, 8:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/giant-black-tree-lobsters-the-rarest-insect-in-the-world/746187/7 "2016-02-15T20:36:55Z")
Tree lobsters? Right. Next you’ll be telling me there are cucumbers on the bottom of the ocean… ---
**Author:** ![wolfman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/a8b319/32.png) [@wolfman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wolfman)\ **Post date:** [February 15, 2016, 9:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/giant-black-tree-lobsters-the-rarest-insect-in-the-world/746187/8 "2016-02-15T21:26:13Z")
> [@ddsun](#): > > No, no, no. Introduce yet another non-native animal. That never goes wrong! There must be some sort of snake, or, hey, even the house cat that would do marvelously at eradicating the rats. 😃 That is so 1900s. Let’s genetically engineer some kind of brand new Rat terminator. Maybe cyborg, with laser eyes. ---
**Author:** ![gigi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a587f6/32.png) [@gigi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gigi)\ **Post date:** [February 15, 2016, 9:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/giant-black-tree-lobsters-the-rarest-insect-in-the-world/746187/9 "2016-02-15T21:28:46Z")
> [@running\_coach](#): > > Your article is from 2012 > > Good news, though. > [Meet The Tree Lobster, Back From The Brink](http://www.npr.org/sections/thetwo-way/2016/02/11/465781993/love-giant-insects-meet-the-tree-lobster-back-from-the-brink) If nothing else, that article certainly makes me want to go to the South Pacific. How beautiful! ---
**Author:** ![Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bosda_di_chi_of_tricor/32/16845_2.png) [@Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bosda_Di_Chi_of_Tricor)\ **Post date:** [February 15, 2016, 10:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/giant-black-tree-lobsters-the-rarest-insect-in-the-world/746187/10 "2016-02-15T22:59:18Z")
> [@astro](#): > > The “rarest insect in the world” also happens to be freaking enormous > Programme AAAAAAAHHHHHH! :eek::eek::eek::eek: Here’s $50, lets subsidize the rats! ---
**Author:** ![running\_coach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/running_coach/32/15836_2.png) [@running\_coach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/running_coach)\ **Post date:** [February 15, 2016, 11:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/giant-black-tree-lobsters-the-rarest-insect-in-the-world/746187/11 "2016-02-15T23:09:37Z")
A big stick,walking softly. ---
**Author:** ![gytalf2000](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/ac91a4/32.png) [@gytalf2000](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gytalf2000)\ **Post date:** [February 15, 2016, 11:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/giant-black-tree-lobsters-the-rarest-insect-in-the-world/746187/12 "2016-02-15T23:12:20Z")
They certainly are impressive critters! Awesome to look at, as long as they stay on / inside the screen. If they actually got on me, though, I just might be screamin’ a different tune… ---
**Author:** ![leftfield6](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/leftfield6/32/18780_2.png) [@leftfield6](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/leftfield6)\ **Post date:** [February 15, 2016, 11:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/giant-black-tree-lobsters-the-rarest-insect-in-the-world/746187/13 "2016-02-15T23:47:43Z")
I’m going to be “that” guy for just a moment. Paige Howorth (pictured on the linked site) is just gorgeous. ---
**Author:** ![Count\_Blucher](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/c5a1d2/32.png) [@Count\_Blucher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Count_Blucher)\ **Post date:** [February 15, 2016, 11:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/giant-black-tree-lobsters-the-rarest-insect-in-the-world/746187/14 "2016-02-15T23:52:40Z")
> [@mage-girl](#): > > Oh dear God you have got to be kidding me!!! :eek: > > Puts the giant flying cockroaches in Hawaii to shame… Yes, but which are better when boiled & served with drawn butter…? 😛 ---
**Author:** ![snfaulkner](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/snfaulkner/32/433_2.png) [@snfaulkner](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/snfaulkner)\ **Post date:** [February 16, 2016, 12:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/giant-black-tree-lobsters-the-rarest-insect-in-the-world/746187/15 "2016-02-16T00:03:53Z")
> [@Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](#): > > AAAAAAAHHHHHH! > :eek::eek::eek::eek: > > Here’s $50, lets subsidize the rats! I’m snfaulkner and I endorse this message. Now to go scrub that image from my imagination with booze. ---
**Author:** ![purplehorseshoe](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/purplehorseshoe/32/2996_2.png) [@purplehorseshoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/purplehorseshoe)\ **Post date:** [February 16, 2016, 12:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/giant-black-tree-lobsters-the-rarest-insect-in-the-world/746187/16 "2016-02-16T00:47:27Z")
> [@running\_coach](#): > > A big stick,walking softly. Well, you won this thread! 😃 ---
**Author:** ![mascaroni](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/dc4da7/32.png) [@mascaroni](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mascaroni)\ **Post date:** [February 16, 2016, 3:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/giant-black-tree-lobsters-the-rarest-insect-in-the-world/746187/17 "2016-02-16T03:03:32Z")
A rather interesting _Guardian_ article [here.](http://www.theguardian.com/environment/2016/feb/09/trouble-in-paradise-lord-howe-island-divided-over-plan-to-exterminate-rats) I think I really should point out that these supposed stick insects don’t really look like sticks. ---
**Author:** ![Enola\_Gay](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/3ab097/32.png) [@Enola\_Gay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Enola_Gay)\ **Post date:** [February 16, 2016, 3:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/giant-black-tree-lobsters-the-rarest-insect-in-the-world/746187/18 "2016-02-16T03:51:41Z")
Thank god they are rare ---
**Author:** ![GuanoLad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guanolad/32/42_2.png) [@GuanoLad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GuanoLad)\ **Post date:** [February 16, 2016, 3:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/giant-black-tree-lobsters-the-rarest-insect-in-the-world/746187/19 "2016-02-16T03:59:02Z")
> [@leftfield6](#): > > I’m going to be “that” guy for just a moment. Paige Howorth (pictured on the linked site) is just gorgeous. I am unable to find an image of her to [prove](http://www.insectnet.com/photos/events0304/e_03bio14.htm) [you](http://www.sandiegoreader.com/photos/2016/jan/18/90178/#) [wrong](http://zoonooz.sandiegozoo.org/2016/02/03/very-infrequent-fliers/). ---
**Author:** ![Sangahyando](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/f14d63/32.png) [@Sangahyando](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sangahyando)\ **Post date:** [February 16, 2016, 4:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/giant-black-tree-lobsters-the-rarest-insect-in-the-world/746187/20 "2016-02-16T04:02:42Z")
I kind-of recommend the book _Rat Island_, by William Stolzenburg – about non-native predatory animals, rats above all, getting on to isolated islands: the havoc that they wreak on the island fauna, and the extreme difficulty of getting rid of them. A fascinating read, but wrist-slitting depressing. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/giant-black-tree-lobsters-the-rarest-insect-in-the-world/746187.md?page=2)