Wednesday, February 13, 2008

Eeek

Mere moments ago, I found this in my kitchen;



It is huge! About 20 centimetres long! However, I behaved quite admirably - I uttered no sound upon seeing this monster lurking suspiciously by my right foot - but anyone watching may have thought I was doing a mime version of Edvard Munch's 'The Scream.'

According to Landcare Research, it is a stick insect, Clitarchus hookeri (sounds rude).

It has a shoe-box sitting over the top of it at the moment - Mr Smith will have a pleasant surprise when he gets up.

11 comments:

Deadman said...

Oh go on and pick it up - it'll be a great photo-op!

BTW, I'll give you three guesses who Ninildu is...

Mrs Smith said...

Pick-it up? Hell no.

Do you know me, Ninildu? (oh dear...)

Mrs Smith said...

God of carpentry and television cabinets?

R Singers said...

We get all sorts of them inside. And spiders and Cave Wetas.

I have the children put the dead ones on their mother.

When they're a bit older and braver i think the living ones may have to be put in her shoes.

llew said...

Nothing wrong with stick insects (but you'd not catch me picking up a preying mantis. They creep me out.

Do you have conifers near the house?

miss_seph said...

all of these things creep me out. yeesh.

Though I've to this day never seen a stick insect...

llew said...

Though I've to this day never seen a stick insect..."

Have a rummage around any old conifer sometime.

Anonymous said...

I feel like I'm missing out, its been ages since I had clitarchus hookeri in the kitchen. You married folk are so lucky.

Mrs Smith said...

Good Lord, Glassboy. Your poor wife.

I think the Clitarchus came from the nearby cabbage trees (or Torquay Palms, as the English call them).

Don't worry Lita, you're not missing out on much. It was my first time, and hopefully the last ;)

R Singers said...

To be fair she refused to marry me after all the men in the wedding party decided that they'd wear kilts or formal lavalavas. Something about there's no point if a bloke in a frock might look better than me. And to add insult to injury she didn't give back the engagement ring so I could sell it and buy an XBox 360 with the money. Just wanted one with bigger diamonds.

Unknown said...

Oh, I get these all the time. I'm not sure why but they love my house. they love the curtains, the doors, the windows. Everything from tiny little baby ones, to huge hulking monsters. They're not too bad to touch, unless they run up your arm. I get a little creeped when one starts running towards my face. The best thing to do in that case is scream and wave your arms around until it drops off and the cat kills it.