WETA !

Here in New Zealand, although there are no poisonous insects, snakes or other venemous creatures, we do have some rare and special insects. One of these is the weta - kind of like a giant cricket!
The weta is an amazing insect, and is found only on Little Barrier Island in its largest forms.



The giant weta is able to grow lengths of up to 90mm and weighs up to 70grams. This means weta are the heaviest recorded insects in the world! On the Mainland wetas have been wiped out by small rodents. They have been around pre-dinosaurs and haven't changed much (see Walking With Dinosaurs). They are nocturnal and hunted by our morepork owl.



Weta is strictly a New Zealand name that derives from the Maori name of wetapunga that was given to the giant weta.
Wetapunga translates roughly to "God of ugly things".
Besides the giant weta there are cave wetas - which have no ears and make no sound..we've seen lots of them in abandoned goldmines, I'm always worried they'll drop on my head!



Then there's the tree wetas - our valley is filled with them and in summer they make a lot of noise! Next are tusked weta, which live in tree holes and there's a ground weta.The mountain stone weta can survive being frozen for months and has learned to 'play dead' to defend itself..
They range in size, but with their big bodies, spiny legs, and curved tusks, and are definitely one of New Zealand's most recognisable creepy-crawlies.