Giant Leaf Insect Found! ft. Jungle Nymph
Channel: Made in the Wild
Date: 17/11/2019

I'm on the search for one of the largest insects in the world, the Jungle Nymph / Giant Leaf Insect ( Heteropteryx dilatate ). The jungle nymph is found in South East Asia and is a member of the stick insect family ( it is a phasmid ). It is a monster bug! It is actually the largest (heaviest) stick insect in the world! It also holds the record for the largest egg laid by an insect, the eggs are know to be about 1.3 cm in length! 

What’s more, the jungle nymph has exceptional camouflage, mimicking a leaf. Its abdomen is shaped exactly like a leaf so it blends into its environment incredibly well, making it hard to spot in the wild, despite its monster size. 

This species is also quite aggressive! It has sharp spines on its hind legs which it can jab into a predator… which it turns out, is pretty painful!

I hope you enjoy :)

*DISCLAIMER*
 Jack Randall has extensive experience handling and studying wild animals. Where filming with dangerous animals Made in the Wild works with scientists and wildlife institutions. Do not attempt to handle wild animals without appropriate training and permits.
 
About Jack Randall:
Jack is a zoologist on an adventure! He has a TV show with National Geographic Wild called "Out There" and this is his YouTube channel where he tells animal stories. Jack was educated at Oxford University following an apprenticeship with the iconic Steve Irwin (which started when Jack was 14!). Jack’s mission is to show off the world’s most amazing animals. And to do that he must explore the world’s most wild places… 
 
What Are Creature Features?
All creatures have evolved different tricks to survive in the wild places they call their homes! Each animal has an awesome story about how they look, what they eat and even how they move! Creature Features spotlight the stories behind these crazy cool adaptations. 
 
The Science:
With over 1 Million animals on the IUCN Red List of Endangered Species, animal populations are in decline the world over. This is due to many reasons but what we know for sure is to keep the planet's amazing diversity of wildlife we need to learn as much as possible about where and how these creatures live their lives. Collating all the data we are gathering will help build a picture of which habitats are key to sustaining the largest diversity of life on planet earth. 
 
Thanks to our amazing team without whom the series would not have been possible! 
 
Suzie Brearley, Production & Second (backup) Cam 
Sarah Ash, Camera
Tom Eagar & Rachel Hagreen & Me, Edit
Mike Wyatt, Graphics
Michael Brearley, Series Intro