The Weta
Crud, still unable to get my old reviews on. Oh well, here's another filler article. This time, I present to you . . . this.
To imagine what a weta looks like, just think of a cross between a cricket and a cockroach, only bigger.
They currently exist natively only in New Zealand, and most species of weta are protected, due to them being a favourite of cats (as food), and humans jumping on them repeatedly. Weta have been around longer than the tuatara; they are the dinosaurs of the insect world, and remarkably tough, as we shall see later on.
There are many different types of weta:
1)Cave weta, which can jump up to 2 metres to catch their prey.
2)Ground weta, which live in underground tunnels and are the smallest of them all.
3)The giant weta, which can weigh up to 3 times heavier than an average mouse, and reach a length of 9 cm (not including antennae and legspan).
4)Tree weta, the most common weta, not to mention the most aggressive of all.
5)Tusked weta, which eat earthworms and beetles, can jump up to 1 metre, and possess enormous mandibles. Groovy.
6)South Island sheep-eating weta, which haven't been proved to eat sheep, as they are solitary hunters; a single weta wouldn't be able to bring down any animal larger than a small lamb. They do prey on stray rabbits that invade their burrows, though.
To top it all up, weta are nearly indestructible, unless you pick up a good rock, tie them down (they're speedy and good jumpers), and bash them repeatedly. That's how the Maoris do it, anyway. Bash them, squash them and pick out their fleshy meat. Their hardy carapaces are used by the Maori to make a leathered container after being boiled in acidic water for several days. (Yes, it's THAT tough)
Back in 1871, the naturalist Sir Walter Buller discovered that wetas could survive a 4 day drowning, a long dunk in boiling water, and that they could also shred their own way out of a wooden packing crate. Weta have also been known to break the bones of smaller animals attacking them, and also prey on rabbits whenever the opportunity arises. Such lovely creatures...
So, why should we care?
Well, weta, being big and fleshy, could make for good reptile food if farmed. There's just the little problem of containing them, which the New Zealand government hasn't solved yet...
Weta, alien invaders, or the badasses of the insect world?
And yes, the famous Weta Workshop that magicked the Lord of the Rings world into movie legend is named after this cute, cuddly, mandibled critter.
To imagine what a weta looks like, just think of a cross between a cricket and a cockroach, only bigger.
They currently exist natively only in New Zealand, and most species of weta are protected, due to them being a favourite of cats (as food), and humans jumping on them repeatedly. Weta have been around longer than the tuatara; they are the dinosaurs of the insect world, and remarkably tough, as we shall see later on.
There are many different types of weta:
1)Cave weta, which can jump up to 2 metres to catch their prey.
2)Ground weta, which live in underground tunnels and are the smallest of them all.
3)The giant weta, which can weigh up to 3 times heavier than an average mouse, and reach a length of 9 cm (not including antennae and legspan).
4)Tree weta, the most common weta, not to mention the most aggressive of all.
5)Tusked weta, which eat earthworms and beetles, can jump up to 1 metre, and possess enormous mandibles. Groovy.
6)South Island sheep-eating weta, which haven't been proved to eat sheep, as they are solitary hunters; a single weta wouldn't be able to bring down any animal larger than a small lamb. They do prey on stray rabbits that invade their burrows, though.
To top it all up, weta are nearly indestructible, unless you pick up a good rock, tie them down (they're speedy and good jumpers), and bash them repeatedly. That's how the Maoris do it, anyway. Bash them, squash them and pick out their fleshy meat. Their hardy carapaces are used by the Maori to make a leathered container after being boiled in acidic water for several days. (Yes, it's THAT tough)
Back in 1871, the naturalist Sir Walter Buller discovered that wetas could survive a 4 day drowning, a long dunk in boiling water, and that they could also shred their own way out of a wooden packing crate. Weta have also been known to break the bones of smaller animals attacking them, and also prey on rabbits whenever the opportunity arises. Such lovely creatures...
So, why should we care?
Well, weta, being big and fleshy, could make for good reptile food if farmed. There's just the little problem of containing them, which the New Zealand government hasn't solved yet...
Weta, alien invaders, or the badasses of the insect world?
And yes, the famous Weta Workshop that magicked the Lord of the Rings world into movie legend is named after this cute, cuddly, mandibled critter.