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Deep Look
Australian Walking Stick Insects Are Three Times Weirder Than You Think
Season 9
Episode 1
The Australian walking stick is a master of deception, but a twig is just one of its many disguises. Before it’s even born, it mimics a seed. In its youth it looks and acts like an ant. Only when it has grown up does it settle into its final, leafy form. Along the way, it fools predators at every turn.
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