Stick Bug Facts for Kids

A Picture of a Stick Bug
  • Common Name: Stick Bug
  • Kingdom: Animalia
  • Phylum: Arthropoda
  • Class: Insecta
  • Cohort: Polyneoptera
  • Superorder: Orthopterida
  • Order: Phasmatodea

13 Stick Bug Facts for Kids

  1. Stick bug is a common name for a large group of insects in the Phasmatodea order.
  2. Stick bugs can also be commonly called bug sticks, stick insects and walking sticks.
  3. It’s estimated there are over 3,000 different species of stick bugs in the Phasmatodea order.
  4. Stick bugs have a head, thorax and abdomen.
  5. Stick bug species are commonly black, brown and green or multiple variations of these colors.
  6. The size of a stick bug varies by species. Smaller species are around 0.5 inch long, while large species can grow to be longer than 12 inches.
  7. There are three stages of the stick bug’s lifecycle, and they are egg, nymph and adult.
  8. The average lifespan of a stick bug is between one and two years.
  9. Stick bugs are herbivores and use their strong mandibles to eat leaves off a tree.
  10. Stick bugs use camouflage as a defense against predators. They can mimic plants and are very effective at replicating the form of sticks and leaves.
  11. Stick bugs can regenerate their limbs if they are broken off. They can sacrifice a limb to escape from a predator.
  12. The laboratory stick insect (Carausius morosus) can produce asexually, meaning it doesn’t need a mate to produce offspring. In fact, there have been no reports of male laboratory stick insect found in the wild.
  13. The Chan’s megastick (Phobaeticus chani) is the longest stick bug in the world. With its legs fully extended, it can reach up to 22 inches in length.

Additional Resources on Stick Bugs

  • Stick Insects – Explore the San Diego Zoo website to learn more about stick insects.
  • Walking Sticks – Discover more amazing facts about walking stick insects on the National Wildlife Foundation website.
  • Phasmatodea – Wikipedia – Learn more about the Phasmatodea order of insects that contains stick bugs via the Wikipedia website.

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