Six Legged Freaks Found After 80 Years In Hiding

Some things never seen before, look like they belong in a horror movie.

On Lord Howe Island, there used to be an insect, famous for being big. It's a stick insect, a critter that masquerades as a piece of wood. as big as a human hand. The Lord Howe Island Walking Stick, as its known, reminded me of this Praying Mantis my wife found a couple years ago.

According to NPR's profile of the illusive creature,

the Europeans labeled it a "tree lobster" because of its size and hard, lobsterlike exoskeleton. It was 12 centimeters long and the heaviest flightless stick insect in the world. Local fishermen used to put them on fishing hooks and use them as bait.

You can read the whole NPR story and see pictures of the creature here.