That would be “eyebrow”
I must say, that if I didn’t know anything about it, my first reaction to seeing one of those on or near my person would not be “Well, how amazing, let’s conserve it.” It would probably involve screaming and swinging with large objects and possibly gunfire. However…when I saw the video in the story, it was beautiful and hopeful and kinda made me wanna cheer.
I hope the Lord Howe islanders let the walking stick come home.
I am a curmudgeon.
I’m also thrilled that the species has been rediscovered. That a population has been saved in captivity is wonderful, and I hope it will continue.
I have no objection to trying to eradicate the rats on Lord Howe Island. But even though the article said that the efforts will be difficult, I think that it’s important to note that simply eradicating the existing population isn’t enough: It will also mean stringent entry controls to prevent a re-infestation. Which is an effort that can never be allowed to end.
Similarly, any species that might be insectivorous would have to be carefully vetted (a rather expensive process, I’d imagine) or simply banned. All it would take would be one Lord Howe Islander releasing an unknowingly pregnant female pet rat, and all the work of re-introduction will be for naught.
I would not care to bet against either rats nor cockroaches. The cockroaches don’t seem to be a problem, here, but the rats will be. ISTR reading that there are rat problems in frigging Antarctica. Rats follow humans. I believe this truism is as close to an ecological law as we’re going to be able to codify.
Trying to re-introduce these beautiful beasties seems a very, very chancy prospect. Keep them alive in zoos.
Sorry to rain on everyone’s parade - I just think that in a world where conservation monies are always going to be faced with many places where they could be usefully spent there are better places to spend the money, more likely to have permanent effects than this effort. It’s not that we’re talking giant bugs. I think that bugs are just as worthy of protection as any vertebrate.
I just don’t have high hopes of any project that requires one to bet against rats for its long-term success.
Take off, and nuke the site from orbit. It’s the only way to be sure.
Ah, those little guys are nothing compared to the specimen in picture #9.
To me it just screams “Dread Fortress of the Dark Sorceror”. I’m kind of suprised they managed to capture a picture of the thing without also catching one of the uncanny bolts of lightning that no doubt constantly play about its summit.
I’m a fellow curmudgeon. There are a gazillion insects. Unless I am given some reason as to why this particular one is important to keep alive, I can’t help wondering if spending the same money, time and effort on some more broadly based conservation project would give better value.
Especially the middle one.
I’m convinced that’s the island of the mad scientist from Gilligan’s Island!! It’s far too unique to be anything else.
As ooged out as I am by the photos of these things, I was charmed by the pair bonding description (including cuddled-up sleeping) and the efforts to rehabilitate the female who was dying after the first egg-laying.
So, um, I guess I’m fine with people making an attempt to rescue the species as long as I’m not the one who has to do it. 
They can have the island.
Sorry to be a spoilsport, but the pic makes them seem a lot bigger than they actually are, with the guy holding his hand right up to the lens for maximum foreshortening effect. Look at the length of the body and it’s shorter than his middle finger.
It’s like the camel spider photo that did the rounds a few years ago.
That’s not to say I’d be thrilled to find one in my shoe.
Nope I’m wrong.
The adults are still 4 to 5 inches long, and I think that’s plenty when it comes to bugs. In any case these ones have a great story. The notion of all the tree lobsters in the world living on one solitary bush on this one remote island seems Dr. Seussian to me, somehow.
Yup, that was pretty much my opinion also.
I normally don’t have issues with bugs, other than I am seriously grossed out by maggots, and have a serious hatred of cockroaches, but I would scream like a little girl if I woke up nose to nose with one of those monsters :eek:
Fascinating read on the NPR site.
Ogre, given your writing in the past - that cool thread about the amazing cloud formation you witnessed, for instance - can you please elaborate as to why this makes you very, very happy?
Don’t get me wrong - I grew up spending a lot of time in Monterey, CA where sea otters were long thought extinct - so when a pod of them were found a few decades ago, it was a huge deal. Finding any supposedly extinct species is cool, like the coelocanth…
Given your expertise, is there any more context you can provide about this particular finding?
Alternatively, I vote for potting little bushes and bansais all over that island, expand it beyond that one sorry bush, make it a Chia island. No rats, no people, and plenty of room for the bugs.
My favorite part is the first line of the article. “No, this isn’t a make-believe place. It’s real.”
Rat Eradication Programs for small islands in NZ have been rather successful. A summary is here. Parts of Canada are maintained free of rats, too. It is possible, the techniques are pretty well established, and in many cases, worth the conservation dollars.
Si
Thanks for that information, Si.
I was pleasantly surprised - as giant bugs go, they look unusually benign (I mean, I know they are benign, but giant bugs often look like the embodiment of evil and malice). I’d much rather have one of those crawl on me than a good many species that are much smaller.