Weta

Scientific Name: Hemideina spp.

Tree wētā (or bush wētā) are New Zealand's most common wētā, found everywhere except for the far south. Like grasshoppers they have ears on their front legs, while the back legs are rubbed against the stomach to produce mating and fighting noises.

Tree wētā eat the leaves of many different plants but prefer the softer leaves of species such as māhoe or karamu. They are mainly nocturnal, and spend the daylight hours roosting in dark cavities such as holes in trees and the specially provided wētā house on the Wattle Track. Unfortunately, a giant centipede has discovered this hiding place and occasionally preys on the wētā that use it.

Researchers checking nestboxes sometimes come across tree wētā. The male pictured below, recognisable by his large jaws, was found roosting in a saddleback nestbox.

Most wētā live for around 2 years, during which they evolve from an egg to a series of immature forms, known as instars, and finally to full adult maturity.

Wētā are found in several Southern Hemisphere countries apart from New Zealand.

Photography by Max McRae © (above right) and Kay Milton © (left).