This strange insect is known as the “Sugar cane Monster”.  It spends its life underground in the soil of cane fields near the Burnett River, and was described and named in 1986 as Cooloola ziljan.  Local naturalist Eric Zillmann first found a specimen in the 1950s, and was amazed at the powerful strength of the legs of the insect, as it digs into the soil.  It is closely related to the Cooloola Monster (Cooloola propator), which is also found in the Burnett Mary Region, at Cooloola National Park and on Fraser Island.   It is so unusual, that when it was first discovered, scientists placed it in a brand new family of insect called Cooloolidae, which is only found in Australia.

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