Lots of people really don’t like creepy, crawly things but they can be pretty groovy.
Look at them up close, REALLY close and you may discover where movie directors get some of
their ideas for weird creatures!
The weta is only found in New Zealand and is sooooo
old, it has outlived the dinosaurs!
Weta are large by insect standards but some of the
giant weta are ENORMOUS and are amongst the heaviest insects in the world
The weta is sometimes known as the
dinosaur of the insect world
The weta is more primitive than the
tuatara
The weta has changed very little in the past 100 MILLION YEARS!
Amazing but true .......
Over one hundred years ago there was a scientist whose name was Walter Buller. The
government gave him the title of ‘Sir’ because he knew soooo much about
wildlife. He wanted to keep some weta for his excellent insect collection so he needed
some dead ones. Sir Walter proceeded to kill some weta but it was not that
easy…… weta have been around since before the dinosaurs so they must be pretty
tough right? RIGHT! One of the wetas was held under water for four days and survived,
another survived being dropped into near-boiling water (ouch) and one chewed its way out
of Sir Walter's handkerchief! (Please don't try this at home, remember to care
for all wildlife.)
When you grow bigger, you get bigger
clothes.
When an insect grows bigger, it breaks out of its old skeleton and grows a new and bigger
one on the outside of its body.
The weta sheds its exoskeleton when moulting, which
can make it vulnerable to predators
At 18 months the male weta selects a female and they
spend six months together sharing the male's territory
At around two years old the female will lay 100-300
eggs. The parents will die before the weta eggs hatch 3-5 months later
The female Weta can be easily identified by her long
ovipositor (it looks like a sting but it isn't - it is for laying eggs)
Weta are not a favorite animal of most people. They
are at risk from being eaten by their enemies and they are at risk when some humans are
about –
Don’t
Stand On
That Weta!
Tuatara are a native predator of the weta. The tuatara is
cold blooded, like the weta, and does not pose the same threat as warm blooded predators
like the rat. The tuatara will sit and wait for a meal to walk by, unlike rats which seek
out their prey and find weta easy game, especially when they become inactive in cold
weather.
Before people arrived in NZ the weta had few predators. Then people came with
predators like rats, cats and dogs.
Weta are at risk from being eaten by rats, trampling by stock and killed by fire when
forest is burned to make farmland.
Weta are nocturnal, which means they are active at night. During the day, weta hide from
predators such as rats and birds.
Some weta are in danger of becoming
extinct, such as the Middle Island Tusked Weta. The Department of Conservation is studying
this weta. They need to learn more about it so they can save it from extinction.
You can help to save the weta from extinction by treading
carefully and putting weta somewhere safe if you find them on the path.
There are two families of weta in New Zealand. One
family contains the Cave Weta. The other family contains the Giant, Tusked, Tree and
Ground Weta.
The Kiwi Conservation Club is a Forest & Bird project for children.
İRoyal Forest and Bird Protection Society of New Zealand Inc 2008. All
rights reserved.
