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Scientists shocked by insect thought to be the heaviest in Australia
This video show the moment scientists held a newly discovered species of stick insect which is believed to be the heaviest insect in Australia.
Research published on Thursday (31 July) has identified the 40-cm Acrophylla alta species as being likely heavier than the giant burrowing cockroach, which is currently the heaviest insect in the country.
The bug, which weighs the same as a golf ball, was found in the Atherton tablelands in Queensland.
Professor Angus Emmott said that a social media post of the large bug caught his attention and he and his co-author Ross Coupland headed to the area to see if they could find the creature for themselves.
The pair had to use a long stick to retrieve the insect, and Emmot theories that the insect’s remote habitat was why the species went undetected for so long.
