Desert Locust vs South American Walking Stick

Side-by-side species comparison

Attribute Desert Locust South American Walking Stick
Scientific Name Schistocerca gregaria Ctenomorpha gargantua
Order Orthoptera Phasmatodea
Family Acrididae Phasmatidae
Size 45-60 mm 180-250 mm
Habitat Farmland Forests
Diet Herbivores Herbivores
Regions Africa, Asia South America (Brazil, Peru, Bolivia)
Conservation Least Concern Least Concern

Desert Locust

Forms enormous swarms of billions that devastate crops across Africa and Asia. A single swarm can cover 1,200 square km and eat as much food as 35,000 people daily.

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Did You Know?

A large locust swarm can contain 80 million individuals per square kilometer and travel 150 km per day, consuming their own body weight in food daily.

South American Walking Stick

An extremely long stick insect that can reach over 250 mm in body length, making it one of the longest insects in South America. It is bright green as a nymph, becoming brown and bark-like as an adult. Females are flightless, while males can glide short distances.

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Did You Know?

When threatened, it drops to the ground and lies perfectly still, becoming virtually indistinguishable from a fallen twig.