Crotch's Bumblebee vs Lord Howe Island Stick Insect

Side-by-side species comparison

Attribute Crotch's Bumblebee Lord Howe Island Stick Insect
Scientific Name Bombus crotchii Dryococelus australis
Order Hymenoptera Phasmatodea
Family Apidae Phasmatidae
Size 10-16 mm 120-150 mm
Habitat Heathland Heathland
Diet Nectar Feeders Herbivores
Regions California, western USA Oceania
Conservation Endangered Critically Endangered

Crotch's Bumblebee

A western North American bumblebee that has declined by over 90% from its historical range. Once common in California's Central Valley. Threatened by pesticides and habitat loss.

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Did You Know?

Has vanished from most of California's agricultural Central Valley where it was once the dominant bumblebee.

Lord Howe Island Stick Insect

Once thought extinct after rats were introduced in 1918, a tiny population was rediscovered in 2001 on Balls Pyramid, a volcanic sea stack 23 km from Lord Howe Island.

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Did You Know?

Fewer than 30 individuals were found clinging to a single bush on a barren sea stack — making this the rarest insect rediscovery in history. Captive breeding saved the species.