Giant Weta

New Zealand Giant Weta 
Product Dimensions: 7 x 3.5 x 4 cm 
Age: 3 years and up 

The giant weta is one of the biggest insects on Earth, easily dwarfing most bugs and even some small rodents. There are over 70 species of weta in New Zealand with the giant weta being the largest.

The name weta comes from the Maori word wetapunga, or “god of ugly things”. The genus name, deinacrida, means “terrible grasshopper.”

Fossils found from the Triassic period 190 million years ago show striking similarities to the weta that inhabit New Zealand today.

Unfortunately these magnificent weta are going extinct due to pests, with the Giant weta now considered limited to Little Barrier Island.