What Do Walking Sticks Eat?

Walking sticks are large insects that look like a collection of brown or green sticks. This look gives them an effective camouflage against other insects, bats, rodents, spiders and birds that threaten the walking stick. Walking sticks are sometimes kept as pets because of their unusual look. They can be maintained in an insectarium that has plenty of the insect's natural food available.

  1. Types

    • There are about 3,000 different types of walking sticks. They are known as walking sticks or stick insects, depending on the region. In addition to their camouflage defense, some walking sticks also secrete a bad-smelling liquid to get rid of predators. Some varieties of walking sticks have wings that they keep concealed at their sides, while others are wingless.

    Function

    • Walking sticks live in brambles and brush, eating only leaves. These herbivores love blackberry leaves as well as the leaves of rose bushes, strawberry plants, hawthorn and beetroot. They also enjoy the leaves of various ivies, though ivy vines often don't offer them the same type of camouflage as brambles while they eat.

    Features

    • When walking sticks eat leaves, they chew the leaves into tiny pieces with powerful jaws. These tiny pieces pass through the walking stick and emerge smaller and softer than before, making them the perfect meal for smaller insects. Walking stick waste is eaten by many insects as well as used as fertilizer.

    Identification

    • Not only are adult walking sticks camouflaged against being seen by predators, but the eggs they lay are camouflaged as well. The eggs are laid one by one, and they resemble seeds. This makes the single eggs look like a random scattering of seeds instead of a heap of eggs that could attract predatory insects. Some walking sticks attach their eggs to the bottoms of leaves or to stems to further hide them.

    Size

    • Walking sticks vary wildly in size. Some walking sticks grow to a length of only 1 inch while others grow to as large as 12 inches. Female walking sticks are larger than males. Many species of walking sticks can live for up to 2 years. Walking stick varieties are still being discovered, and not all have scientific descriptions written for them. Scientists continue to study them to learn more about their behavior to describe new varieties.