Stick Mimic

A stick grasshopper on a flower.

Look twice.  That’s not a stick.  It’s not even a walking stick.  It’s a grasshopper!

The stick grasshoppers comprise the family Proscopiidae, and are unique to South America.  Aside from their jumping hind legs, their heads are very distinct from that of a walking stick: elongate, with a mouth near the bendable neck, and eyes further along the length of the head.

These guys were all over Argentina and fun to watch.  This particular fellow was posing on a flower all by himself, so I had to snap a picture.  Here’s another stick hopper, this one particularly cryptic:

A well-camouflaged stick grasshopper in Argentina (Proscopiidae).