Stick Grasshopper

Image: Andreas Kay

What do you get when you mix a grasshopper with a stick insect?

A Proscopiid!

Image: Andreas Kay

LOL! It's funny 'cos it's true. Well... it's true, at least.

Proscopiidae is a family of grasshoppers found in the tropical forests of America.

Image: Bernard DUPONT

They're known as Stick Grasshoppers, for obvious reasons. They've clearly taken a leaf out of the stick insect's handbook. Should I say leaf? It was probably a twig.

They're also known as Jumping Sticks, which makes sense since stick insects are also known as walking sticks. While Stick Grasshoppers either have reduced wings or none at all and therefore can't fly, they can still turn pogo stick and leap away from trouble.

Video: Laíza Cukier

They'd rather not have to jump around the place, though. Like a lot of leaf and stick mimics, they walk as if they're powered by nothing more than a light breeze.

Their camouflage comes with a caveat, though...

Video: Cédric Loury

And it's in the looks department.

Stick Grasshoppers look utterly ABSURD.

Image: Andreas Kay

Those gangly legs...

Image: Geoff Gallice

Those googly eyes...

Image: Matt

Those weird, pointy heads.

It's a whole new way to have eyes on stalks...

Image: Andreas Kay

Turn your whole head into a stalk!

They look like they're falling into a black hole of camouflage...

Image: Andreas Kay

And are getting spaghettified every step of the way.

I sure hope it was worth it.