Latest Giant weta Stories
Finding a mate can take considerable legwork as recently illustrated by the flightless and nocturnal Cook Strait giant weta Deinacrida rugosa. This cricket relative is found in New Zealand and is one of the world's heaviest insects with females weighing in at 20 g, averaging twice the size of males. In a field study on Maud Island, New Zealand, published in the September issue of The American Naturalist, evolutionary biologists from the University of Toronto at Mississauga discovered that...
Latest Giant weta Reference Libraries
The Weta family comprises over one hundred (generally) large insect species endemic to the New Zealand archipelago. Their name comes from the Maori language, but has acclimatized itself in New Zealand English, so the plural "wetas" may appear. Their physical appearance is that of a cross between a cockroach and a cricket with the addition of large legs. Weta can be found in environments ranging from mountainous conditions to urban gardens by virtue of their ability to cope with wide...
