The Giant Weta Bug

If bugs are not your thing. The giant weta bug will probably not be on the top of your list of favorite insects. A number of weta have been found that weigh more than a mouse.

Giant weta are several species of weta in the genus Deinacrida of the family Anostostomatidae. Giant weta are endemic to New Zealandand are examples of island gigantism.

There are eleven species of giant weta, most of which are larger than other weta, despite the latter already being large by insect standards. Large species can be up to 10 cm (4 in) not inclusive of legs and antennae, with body mass usually no more than 35 g. One captive female reached a mass of about 70 g (2.5 oz.), making it one of the heaviest documented insects in the world and heavier than a sparrow. This is, however, abnormal, as this individual was unmated and retained an abnormal number of eggs. The largest species of giant weta is the Little Barrier Island giant weta, also known as the wetapunga. One example reported in 2011 weighed 71 g, and a 72 g specimen has been recorded.

Giant weta tend to be less social and more passive than other weta. Their genus name, Deinacrida, is Greek for “fierce grasshopper”. They are found primarily on New Zealand offshore islands, having been almost exterminated on the mainland islands by introduced mammalian pests.

Interesting facts about the giant weta

1. IT CAN OUTWEIGH A MOUSE.
   The giant weta is the world’s heaviest reported insect. It can weigh up to 2.5 ounces, though many weta don’t reach quite that giant of proportions.
2. ITS NAME MEANS “GOD OF UGLY THINGS.”
   The name weta comes from the Maori word wetapunga, or “god of ugly things.” The genus name, deinacrida, means “terrible grasshopper.”
3. IT LOVES CARROTS.
   In 2011, Smithsonian researcher Mark Moffett stumbled upon a particularly large giant weta on a trip to New Zealand’s Little Barrier Island. An image of Moffett feeding the huge insect a carrot went viral. A New Zealand insect expert later noted to the New Zealand Herald that feeding the insects carrots is quite common.
4. IT HAS DOZENS OF WETA COUSINS.
   There are over 70 species of weta in New Zealand. The giant weta’s close relatives include the carnivorous tusked weta, the tree weta, and the cave weta. Alpine weta can freeze solid during the winter, thawing out and going on their way once spring comes.
5. IT’S OLDER THAN SOME DINOSAURS.
   Fossils found from the Triassic period 190 million years ago show striking similarities to the weta that inhabit New Zealand today.