These fantastic animals are giant AUSTRALIAN PRICKLY STICK INSECTS, a species which is also known as MACLEAY'S SPECTRE.  Apart from the very common Indian stick insects these were the first species I ever kept, and they have remained a firm favourite of mine throughout the years due to their unusual appearance, variation in colour and fascinating life cycle. 

The individuals in the pictures above are  females and demonstrate the usual range of colouration of this species.  Adult males and females look rather different from each other, with females being large, heavy and unable to fly.  Males on the other hand are much more slender, have fully developed wings and can fly quite well!  A couple of different males are pictured below and as you can see they are very attractive animals:

Like many species of stick insects, if the males are disturbed or feel threatened they will play dead!  They literally lie motionless on their backs, which can either confuse predators or cause them to lose interest in eating them if they only eat living food.  Once the danger has passed they will simply turn back the right way up and either walk or fly away!  Here is a male playing dead:

The eggs, or ova, of this species are very attractive and take between 5 and 8 months to hatch:

When they do hatch the babies or nymphs are very active indeed and spend their time running around and feeding on the selection of fresh Eucalyptus and bramble leaves which I provide for them.  They are black with a red head and look quite a bit like ants!