Giant stick bug: the living tree

[SwordBros]

Wild:

As i wandered through the forest i got the impression that some logs were moving, although i checked around i didn't notice anything that strange except for a log without leaves. As i approached these logs i picked up what appeared to be bark but was actually woody chitin; from there i realized it was a giant stick bug. Its gigantic size has not prevent it from perfecting its camouflage, so much so that it has managed to become virtually indistinguishable from a tree to enemy prying eyes, even with the aid of a spy glass.

Domesticated:

To bring it out into the open, you have to throw honey at it several times, but it is important not to be seen, otherwise it will avoid approaching; once it is busy enjoying the honey you have to approach itto give it sap, its favourite food. Unlike many other insects used exclusively in warfare, this woody arthropod being able to climb any surface and float on water is mainly used for safe exploration. Its woody constitution has the advantage of making it immune to bee stings, which allows it to be able to carry a hive on itself, thus being protected by the colony. What was most surprising was to discover that if it is fed enough it secrets hemolymph that is reminescent of redwood sap in every way.

Taming:

as already mentioned in the dossier, to tame this animal you have to throw honey to attract its attention, however it will only come closer to eat if you do not look directly at it, so after throwing the honey turn the other way and distance yourself enough so that it can eat the honey, if you do not do this it will close in on itself pretending to be a tree.

Repeat this process until the honey icon fills up, at which point the stick bug will be blocked by the honey and will not be able to close in; then you can approach it and feed it sap or sweet vegetable cake. You will need to feed it as much as possible before it finishes digesting all the honey; the sweet vegetable cake is especially useful if you want to tame a very high level insect. Having done this you will have finally tamed your giant stick bug.

Skills:

Climber: is able to climb any surface such as megalania, when left clinging to a surface it does not consume stamina.

Mimicry: with the right click this insect closes in on itself taking on the appearance of a tree, in this pose wild animal stop chasing and attacking it and it is undetectable by spyglasses, which is very useful if you want to go unnoticed in the wilderness or by enemies. If you accidentaly hit a wild insect it will break free and run away to hide again.

With this ability, it changes appearance depending on the trees in the biome it is located in:

Hive collector and transporter: as a second skill you can collect hives obtained from domesticated queen bees and carry them on its abdomen. This way you will not only be able to transport honey anywhere but should the stick bug be attacked the bees will rush to defend it immediately.

Living canoe: when you carry this insect in the water it floats like a canoe and will not consume stamina while swimming, it is unable to dive but will not be attacked by any acquatic animals as it will be mistaken for a log or boat (this will not save it from being attacked by leedsichthys).

Resourse producer: by scratching its exoskeleton, woody chitin is collected: an expiring organic material can be collected either by scrathing wild and domestic specimens or from corpses. Another resource that can be obtained is hemolymph: an organic version of sap, it has a very long maturity; this resource is produced in the animal's inventory (just as with achatin that produces cement paste or basilosaurus that produces oil).

Tree of life: due to its resemblance to trees, the giant stick bugs can not only house bees, it also houses archaeopteryx, which can sit on top of its six legs when it is in its natural state, then moving to the top as a perch when it camouflages itself. These increase the production of hemolymph. In turn, the giant stick bug receives the “Tree of life” buff, releasing a pheromone that heals any nearby insects and increases crop yield.

Beeswax armor: once a beehive has been present on it for a long time, the bees become so attached to the Giant Stick Bug that they develop a protective outer coating of beeswax, which can be used by the owner to attach a saddle, which the insect will hide together with its owner when camouflaging itself (Thanks to @Noeab0101 for the illustration).

This is a simplified example of what the Giant Stick Bug looks like in its normal, camouflaged, and canoe versions:

On the Gen 1 map, you can encounter this enormous insect camouflaged among the logs of the bog biome.

I hope you like the idea of this giant insect.

Vote for the giant stick bug for Genesis part 1 and also take a look at the other creatures my brother and i made for this map: Ribodon, Beorn, Crossvallia, Necronectes and Estemmenosuchus.

Edited November 7, 2025 by SwordBros

[Dilophoraptor]

STICK BUG RETURNS!!

[Bulborb87]

Get Stick Bugged, LOL

[Snallygaster123]

stick bug:)

[PrimalNacho]

Its back!

[LopMeat]

Goated

[Helianthus]

The mimicry would be cool if it had some biome-dependent variants (or if its disguise changed with the biome its in, no matter the map). I really like the potential shoulder pet synergy as well (beyond archaeopteryx). 

[Felwinter0808]

Je l'adore !

[YvonneAtaro664]

The stick insect is back! It's great to see it back! Even if it doesn't win, it's one of my favorite proposals, along with the jellyfish, a loot from the giant treasure of the sea. The last time I saw it, I was left wanting to say it like this: I think it would be great if the stick insect could use the Archeopteryx(es) to jump off cliffs and glide over certain distances. It could also "tame" other kinds of insects to improve their defense/attack, such as Tynanonirmas or Meganeuras, commanding them like Yuty does with Carnos.

[SwordBros]

On 10/11/2025 at 9:12 AM, Helianthus said:

The mimicry would be cool if it had some biome-dependent variants (or if its disguise changed with the biome its in, no matter the map). I really like the potential shoulder pet synergy as well (beyond archaeopteryx). 

Thanks for the suggestion, I added an image explaining the change in camouflage depending on the biome.

[hybrid20002]

My point from last time still remains. It'll be funny to have the stick

[Tier124]

Its Sticktime but would be nice to see on genesis bog a stickbug 

[Suetek]

STICK SUPREMACY!!!!! RISE MY BROTHERS!! 🪾🪾🪾🪾🪾

[YouNeekandI]

Love it! You got my vote!

[Xenorachnoide]

I was so sad this fella didn't win previous vote so here is mine, well adjustment to fit genesis biomes and the symbiotic addition with bees is on point

Might compete as my favorite tame in ark.

[wvogmothman]

YESS LONG LIVE STICKBUG

[Grex255]

Happy it's back, hope it does better this time!

[noeark]

Can u use the woody chitin as a replacement of regular wood? Great concept BTW

I love the idea of the bees hive integrated to the mob, would u need a saddle to ride it?

Edited October 14, 2025 by noeark

[SwordBros]

3 hours ago, noeark said:

Can u use the woody chitin as a replacement of regular wood? Great concept BTW

 

Thanks, and yes, it can be used either as wood or as chitin

[SonicDRJ]

This seems like such a fun concept! Something silly but practical with some good utility. It's not something we see very often anymore that's for sure.

 

I hope this does extremely well in the votes, if not outright win it. I can see this absolutely fitting into ARK!

[Ka15er12]

I love this idea and glad to see it back for another community vote 

[anelbarahona]

Es una idea muy interesante, me gusta la simbiosis que compartiría con el panal de abejas.

[Helianthus]

I suggest adding some info on the prehistoric species this is based on. 

[Daviball]

Stick bug is so original,the BEST come back

[Jynxins]

Love the uniqueness and it would be awesome on Gen 1, especially in the bog. Hope it wins!

Edited October 16, 2025 by Jynxins