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Giant wētā are several species of wētā in the genus Deinacrida of the family Anostostomatidae. Giant wētā are endemic to New Zealand and all but one species are protected by law because they are considered at risk of extinction.
As saddlebacks prey on the wētā during the day, D. heteracantha are thus under constant predation pressure. [16] There is evidence suggesting that these rats have a negative impact on the population of these wētā, as is commonly the case with invasive rodents. [17] The removal of the kiore in 2004 was a success. The population size grew ...
Wētā is a loanword, from the Māori-language word wētā, which refers to this whole group of large insects; some types of wētā have a specific Māori name. [2] In New Zealand English, it is spelled either "weta" or "wētā", although the form with macrons is increasingly common in formal writing, as the Māori word weta (without macrons) instead means "filth or excrement". [3]
An adult Poor Knights giant wētā (Deinacrida fallai) from Aorangi Island, Poor Knights Island group, Northland, New Zealand. Deinacrida fallai was only described as a new species in 1950. [ 2 ] It is the second largest wētā species in the world, [ 2 ] with females weighing up to 40g and measuring up to 73mm (2.87 inches) in length. [ 5 ]
The Cook Strait giant wētā is found only in New Zealand, on the islands of the North, South and Middle Trio, Stephens, Maud, Matiu/Somes and Mana. [4] [5] In 2007, this species was reintroduced to mainland New Zealand, where it had been extinct for over 100 years, and is now found in Zealandia Wildlife Sanctuary in the North Island. [6]
As one of the smallest known species of giant wētā, Deinacrida tibiospina grows to only around 30-40mm long, and weigh just 7 grams. [1] [2] [4] Like many other giant wētā, such as Deinacrida rugosa, the overlapping armoured plates on their back are wrinkled. [5] Adults of the species can be varying shades of brown, sometimes with a reddish ...
These giant wētā were first discovered living in tiny (1–5 hectare) remnants of tawa forest at Mahoenui, a small community in New Zealand's King Country. In 1987 a larger population was found nearby, living in farmland covered with introduced gorse. An area of 240 hectares (590 acres) of gorse was purchased by the Department of Conservation ...
The Kaikoura giant wētā can grow up to around 100mm in size [12] and weigh up to 14.5 grams. [13] They have a life span of roughly two years. [4] This wētā, although very similar in appearance, is smaller in size than D. rugosa and is a brown colour [10] with darker colouring under the abdomen. [9]