These Giant Leaf Insects Will Sway Your Heart | Deep Look

Giant Malaysian leaf insects stay still – very still – on their host plants to avoid hungry predators. But as they grow up, they can’t get lazy with their camouflage. They change – and even dance – to blend in with the ever-shifting foliage. SUBSCRIBE to Deep Look! Please support us on Patreon! DEEP LOOK is a ultra-HD (4K) short video series created by KQED San Francisco and presented by PBS Digital Studios. See the unseen at the very edge of our visible world. Explore big scientific mysteries by going incredibly small. --- You’ll have to look closely to spot a giant Malaysian leaf insect when it’s nibbling on the leaves of a guava or mango tree. These herbivores blend in seamlessly with their surroundings because  they look exactly like their favorite food: fruit leaves.  But you can definitely see these fascinating creatures at the California Academy of Sciences, located in the heart of San Francisco’s Golden Gate Park, through the spring of 2022.  An ongoing interactive exhibit, ‘Color of Life,’ explores the role of color in the natural world. It’s filled with a variety of critters, including Gouldian finches, green tree pythons, Riggenbach’s reed frogs, and of course, giant leaf insects. --- Read the entire article on KQED Science: --- What do giant leaf insects eat? They’re herbivores, so they stick to eating leaves from their habitats, like guava and mango. --- What’s one main difference between male and female giant leaf insects? Males can actually fly as they have wings, which they use for mating. --- But did you know that females don’t need males for mating? They are facultatively parthenogenetic, which means they sometimes mate or sometimes reproduce asexually. If they mate with a male, they produce both males and females, but if the eggs remain unfertilized – only females are produced. --- For more information: Visit California Academy of Sciences --- More Great Deep Look episodes: It’s a Bug’s Life: --- Shoutout! 🏆Congratulations 🏆to the following fans on our YouTube community tab for correctly identifying the type of reproduction female leaf insects can use in the absence of a suitable male - parthenogenesis. Sylly Jim Spencer Rikki Anne Cara Rose GOT7 HOT7 THOT7 VISUAL7 --- Thank you to our Top Patreon Supporters ($10 per month)! Trae Wright Justin Bull Bill Cass Alice Kwok Sarah Khalida Mohamad Stefficael Uebelhart Daniel Weinstein Chris B Emrick Seghan Seer Karen Reynolds Tea Torvinen David Deshpande Daisuke Goto Amber Miller Companion Cube WhatzGames Richard Shalumov Elizabeth Ann Ditz Robert Amling Gerardo Alfaro Mary Truland Shirley Washburn Robert Warner johanna reis Supernovabetty Kendall Rasmussen Sayantan Dasgupta Cindy McGill Leonhardt Wille Joshua Murallon Robertson Pamela Parker Roberta K Wright Shelley Pearson Cranshaw KW Silvan Wendland Two Box Fish Johnnyonnyful Aurora George Koutros monoirre Dean Skoglund Sonia Tanlimco Guillaume Morin Ivan Alexander Laurel Przybylski Allen Jane Orbuch Rick Wong Levi Cai Titania Juang Nathan Wright Syniurge Carl Kallie Moore Michael Mieczkowski Kyle Fisher Geidi Rodriguez JanetFromAnotherPlanet SueEllen McCann Daisy Trevino Jeanne Sommer Louis O’Neill riceeater Katherine Schick Aurora Mitchell Cory Nousernamepls Chris Murphy PM Daeley Joao Ascensao Nicolette Ray TierZoo --- Follow KQED Science and Deep Look: Patreon: Instagram: Twitter: KQED Science on : Facebook Watch: --- About KQED KQED, an NPR and PBS affiliate in San Francisco, CA, serves Northern California and beyond with a public-supported alternative to commercial TV, Radio and web media. Funding for Deep Look is provided in part by PBS Digital Studios. Deep Look is a project of KQED Science, which is also supported by the National Science Foundation, the S. D. Bechtel, Jr. Foundation, the Dirk and Charlene Kabcenell Foundation, the Vadasz Family Foundation, the Fuhs Family Foundation, Campaign 21 and the members of KQED. #leafinsects #insect #deeplook