Video transcript
Hi we're at the Field of Mars Reserve and we're going to learn about how animals change as they grow.
This is a spiny leaf insect. She's a type of phasmid.
She has a really fascinating life cycle.
Adult female phasmids release their eggs onto the forest floor which are collected by ants and taken underground to their nests.
Baby phasmids which are called nymphs will emerge from their eggs and leave the ant nest where they will then climb up the nearest tree and begin to feed on leaves.
Over their life cycle phasmids will moult and shed their exoskeleton several times before they reach their full size.
The adult phasmid will then spend the rest of its life living in the trees and feeding on the leaves.