Cooloola monster
The Cooloola monster is a unique insect species first discovered in 1976 within the Cooloola National Park in Queensland, Australia. It belongs to the phylum Arthropoda and class Insecta, specifically classified under its own family, Cooloolidae, due to its distinctive characteristics. Typically measuring just over one inch (three centimeters) in length, the Cooloola monster has a robust body covered by a primitive, armored exoskeleton. This insect is notable for its small thorax and segmented abdomen, as well as its short, stubby legs. Unlike many related species, the Cooloola monster has very short antennae and is nearly blind.
Primarily a burrowing creature, it thrives in the sandy, moist soil found in coastal rain forests and eucalyptus forests of central Queensland. The males are occasionally observed on the forest floor at night, while females tend to remain underground, likely due to their swollen abdomens filled with eggs. The Cooloola monster primarily feeds on beetle larvae and other insects located near the roots of forest plants. Despite the discovery of additional similar species, the reproductive habits and lifespan of the Cooloola monster remain largely unknown, making it a subject of interest in entomological research.
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Cooloola monster
The cooloola monster was first discovered in Australia in 1976. It was collected from a pitfall trap set on the floor of the rain forest in the Cooloola National Park in Queensland, Australia. No species exactly like it had ever been seen.
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Anthropoda
Class: Insecta
Order: Orthoptera
Family: Cooloolidae
Genus: Cooloola
Species: Propator
The cooloola monster burrows in the sandy, moist soil of Australia. Since the discovery of the first cooloola monster, various other similar species have been found in other parts of Australia, especially in the coastal rain forests and the open eucalyptus forests in central Queensland.
The cooloola monster generally grows to be a little over one inch (three centimeters) long. It has an extremely rounded, or robust, shape with a thick, hard exoskeleton. An exoskeleton is a skeletal system that is on the outside of an animal's body. Insects have exoskeletons, and humans and other mammals have internal skeletons. The exoskeleton of the cooloola monster looks very primitive and resembles plated armor.
Like other insects, the cooloola monster is divided into three parts. These three parts are the head, thorax, and abdomen. The thorax, or middle section, of the cooloola monster is very small, and the abdomen, or lower part, is divided into many segmented plates. The cooloola monster also has six, stubby, jointed legs extending from its body.
Unlike other members of the order Orthoptera, the cooloola monster has a pair of extremely short antennae and is almost blind. The male cooloola monster also has tiny, flightless stubs of wings that do not extend beyond its thorax, or middle section. The female has no wings at all. These observations of the first cooloola monster discovered led scientists to conclude two things. They concluded that it was some kind of orthopteran, or member of the order to which grasshoppers and crickets belong, and they decided that this insect was probably a burrowing creature. They were correct.
Although the scientists who found the cooloola monster concluded it was an orthopteran and most closely related to crickets and long-horned grasshoppers, they were not able to decide with which family to classify this insect. Ultimately, scientists created the family Cooloolidae especially for cooloola monsters. It is very common for new species of insects to be discovered, but very rarely are new families created.
The cooloola monster feeds on beetle larvae and other insects that live and breed near the bases and roots of forest plants. Although the males have been seen crawling along the forest floor at night after it rains, the females seem to spend their entire lives below the surface of the ground. Since their abdomens are frequently swollen with eggs and their legs are very short and stubby, it is possible that the females are unable to crawl far enough to move above ground.
The reproductive habits and life span of the cooloola monster are not known for certain.
Bibliography
Britton, David. “Grasshoppers, Crickets, Katydids and Locusts: Order Orthoptera.” Australian Museum, australian.museum/learn/animals/insects/grasshoppers-crickets-katydids-and-locusts-order-orthoptera/. Accessed 5 Apr. 2024.
“Cooloola Monster Facts for Kids.” Kiddle, kids.kiddle.co/Cooloola‗monster. Accessed 5 Apr. 2024.