Dryococelus australis: The Remarkable Return of the “Tree Lobster

Dryococelus australis, also known as the Lord Howe Island stick insect, is one of the most extraordinary comeback stories in conservation history. Once believed extinct after invasive rats wiped it out on Lord Howe Island in the early 1900s, the species survived in secret on a remote volcanic spire called Ball’s Pyramid. In 2001 researchers discovered fewer than thirty surviving individuals, launching an urgent effort to save the species from complete disappearance. Through careful captive breeding, habitat restoration, and the successful removal of invasive rodents, conservation teams have now built a thriving population ready for reintroduction into the wild.