25 August 09

When Invertebrate Keeper Rohan Cleave looked through the camera lens, he could hardly believe his eyes.

One of the tiny eggs on the counter in front of him was changing as he watched.

The tiny 'trap door' in the egg popped open, and Rohan was watching the miracle of birth.

There is an element of the miraculous in all births, but in this case Rohan knew he was watching and filming something never before recorded by science.

In 2003, when Melbourne Zoo began the breeding program for what was considered the world's most endangered insect species, almost nothing was known about the biology of these amazing creatures, not even their lifespan.

There were no scientific references to tell the Zoo's Invertebrate Keepers how long it would take for eggs to hatch, but their careful husbandry has now determined that it takes between six and nine months.

So Rohan knew he was very lucky indeed to be on the spot at the exact moment that this nymph made its way out into the world.

From the 2003 beginning with one pair of Lord Howe Island Stick Insects, Melbourne Zoo is now home to about 600 and has already provided 30 Zoo-born insects to the Lord Howe Island authorities for display in their plant nursery.

Invertebrate Specialist Patrick Honan says 'It is an amazing opportunity for us to work with this ancient life form and to be part of ensuring that it will have another chance after coming so close to extinction.'

Video report from the ABC on the Lord Howe Island Stick Insect hatching