Tuesday 6 January 2009

Nymphomania

Brian, Brian, Brian, Brian, Brian, Brian, Brian, Brian, Brian, and Brian came into the office today. Brians (as they will henceforth be collectively known) are stick insect nymphs, specifically Trachyaretaon brueckneri, or Giant Thorny Stick insects. They currently look like this:



However they will soon look like this:


One of the benefits of working in a wildlife tv company is that an unusual proportion of my colleagues had a 'wow!' reaction, rather than a 'Ew...' reaction, which is what a lot of people naturally tend towards.

Interestingly though, even the 'ew' people were pretty fascinated once they looked closely at one of the Brians. If you've never looked at an insect up close and face-to-face, you might not realise just how bloody amazing they are. Giant Thorny nymphs (or in this case, Brians) are quite a good starting point for anyone who hasn't had much experience meeting and greeting insects - they're not too big (yet), they don't run fast, and they do a little wavy thing with their feet that makes them quite endearing.


A little more on exactly what makes insects so flippin' cool will follow later. You won't be disappointed - promise!

No comments:

Post a Comment