Cool Animal of the Day: The Leaf Insect

The Leaf Insect is also called the Phylliidae, which looks really hard to pronounce and makes me angry for no apparent reason. Leaf Insects are also known as Walking Leaves, which makes a hell of a lot more sense. Scientifically they’re referred to as Leaf Mimics, which would be a super rock band name. Get this, kids – to further confuse predators, when the leaf insect walks it rocks back and forth to mimic a real leaf being blown by the wind. That’s cool, man. Leaf Insects were first discovered by some bro on Magellan’s voyage around the globe. I have to show you what he wrote because it’s fascinating as all get-out:

In this island are also found certain trees, the leaves of which, when they fall, are animated, and walk. They are like the leaves of the mulberry tree, but not so long; they have the leaf talk short and pointed, and near the leaf stalk they have on each side two feet. If they are touched they escape, but if crushed they do not give out blood. I kept one for nine days in a box. When I opened it the leaf went round the box. I believe they live upon air.

I told you it was cool. Dude thought they were actual walking leaves that lived on air. That’s cray-cray, man.