HER name is Lady Gaga-ntuan and she was definitely born this way.

Scientists from the Museum of Victoria have rediscovered Australia’s longest stick insect near Cairns, during an expedition into the rainforest in January.

Measuring half a metre long, the insect is only the third female Gargantuan Stick Insect (Ctenomorpha gargantua) specimen to ever be found.

Museum Victoria live exhibits keeper Maik Fiedel said the insect, dubbed ‘‘Lady Gaga-ntuan’’, was the Holy Grail of stick insects, with entomologists searching the rainforest high and low since the initial discovery of a large female specimen in 2005.

“Compared with other large stick insects, it’s like discovering a person who is almost 3m tall,’’ he said.

Stick insects have evolved to be extremely well camouflaged.

Mr Fiedel said it could take up to 20 minutes to find the animals on a small plant.

He said the strangest thing about Lady Gaga-ntuan, however, was that the insect had managed to stay hidden for so long despite its size.

“One theory is that it lives in the canopy of the rainforest,’’ he said.

“It’s likely Lady Gaga-ntuan fell from the canopy after a strong gust of wind.”

Since its collection, the long-limbed lady has died, however she still managed to lay 12 eggs which were expected to hatch in coming months.

The insects usually live for nine-12 months, suggesting Lady Gaga-ntuan was naturally near the end of her life at the time of her capture.

Her body is now part of the museum’s entomology collection, and will be the subject of future studies.