Here’s the question that Robert Krulwich poses to close his article:

Will ordinary Janes and Joes, going about their days, agree to spend a little extra effort and money to preserve an animal that isn’t what most of us would call beautiful? Its main attraction is that it has lived on the planet for a long time, and we have the power to keep it around. I don’t know if it will work, but in the end, that’s the walking stick’s best argument:

I’m still here. Don’t let me go.

Would you go out of your way to save a tree lobster? Or any other creature you hadn’t heard of? It doesn’t live in your backyard, it doesn’t feed into your ecosystem. But it is something that we have the power to do, if we choose to. Neighbors or not, this is a story of caring for species with an evenly weighted scale.

It’s the story of an ancient volcanic spire in the South Pacific, enormous rock-dwelling insects, a bunch of shipwrecked rats, a serendipitous mountain-climber, and a dedicated zoologist. You’ll have to read Robert’s words to find out more, but know that stories like this allow us to experience rebirths like this video:

(via Krulwich Wonders… )