Even Giant Insects Need Protection from Predators

Giant tree weta. Photo: YouTube

Think you’ve seen some really big bugs in your career as a pest management professional? Unless you work in New Zealand, you haven’t seen the biggest bugs on Earth. That’s where you’ll find the giant weta, which weighs in at a whopping (by bug standards, anyway) 2.5 oz., Wired reports. The insect is among about 70 species of known weta in New Zealand. For centuries, no “terrestrial  mammals” were on the island to chase the weta around, so they had no need to take flight. This is one of the reasons they evolved into some of the largest bugs you’ll ever see, however cats and rats now threaten the existence of many weta species. New Zealanders have taken action, developing conservation practices that will protect them.