Phasmatodea

High school (ages 12+)
Animals & Nature

Name:

Date:

Step 1 · Read the article

Open the article and read it at the level above. Then answer the questions below in your own words.

https://smallwhale.org/articles/phasmatodea

Write what each word means, using the article.

Do not copy the article. Write two things you learned, the way you would explain them to a friend.

Answers below are taken from the article’s stored facts, so they match what the student read.

1. What is the scientific name?Phasmatodea
2. What is the habitat?Arboreal environments in tropical and temperate forests, woodlands, and shrublands globally
3. What are stick insects and why do they look like twigs?Stick insects are insects that mimic twigs or leaves to hide from predators. Their bodies are shaped and colored to look like plant parts.
4. How do stick insects stay hidden from birds and other animals?They stay still for long times, sway like leaves in the wind, and sometimes change color to match their surroundings.

Crypsis: The ability of an organism to avoid observation or detection by other organisms.
Obligate Herbivore: An animal that relies solely on plants for its diet.
Biomimicry: The imitation of the models, systems, and elements of nature for the purpose of solving complex human problems.
Nymph: An immature form of an insect that resembles the adult but is smaller and may not have fully developed wings.