IanHeaviest Insect in the World
December 30th 2011 01:49
Giant Weta
The Giant Weta, is a species of insect, a type of cricket in family Anostostomatidae that has no wings. It is endemic to New Zealand.
Little Barrier Island Giant Weta
The largest species of giant weta is the Little Barrier Island Giant Weta, also known as the wetapunga. One female specimen holds the record for the heaviest adult insect ever documented. It weighed 71g (2.5oz), three times heavier than the average house mouse, and was more than 85mm (3.4in) long.
Specimen preserved in the collection of the Auckland War Memorial Museum
Giant weta tend to be less social and more passive than other weta. Their genus name, Deinacrida, is Greek for terrible grasshopper. They are found primarily on New Zealand offshore islands, having been almost exterminated on the mainland islands by introduced mammalian pests.
*This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article for Giant Weta.
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