Hannibal or Hannah?

Picture the scene.


One HUGE stick insect where there used to be three medium sized ones.

Two cast off legs, dangling from leaves.

Two leaf mimics quivering under a leaf.

What was I to think?

There's been a murder!! (Well two actually)

I had to break the news gently. Claire is off school sick with a heavy cold. This is the last thing she needs to hear.

She took it well, we got stuck into the crime scene, investigating and we left no leaf unturned.

There was no way the stickies could escape, the remaining sticky had overnight increased in size, there were two left over legs discarded carelessly.

We felt shock and disbelief. We felt dark thoughts about the remaining sticky.

We concluded that SHE ATE HER FRIENDS in her bid for vivarium domination!

Later that afternoon, after much fruitless research on the web on stick insecticide I made myself a cup of stress relieving redbush tea.

And what should catch my eye??

A stick insect hanging from the teabag box!!!

Claire and I shook our heads in wonder...it was alive but how did it get there?

Now it was time to think like a stick insect, ( which is hard to do when you're a size 18) where would I hide if I was a stick insect that had escaped from the tank.

I guessed right. Behind the radio....of course??

Happiness and relief turned quickly into severe annoyance.

These stick insects had faked their own deaths and legged it! pardon the pun.

And the rest was simple. The Huge stick insect couldn't escape like the others as it had just moulted and couldn't squeeze out.

And leaf mimics always quiver under leaves regardless of a drama or not.