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Imagine that fat hitting the windshield at 75mph...it would paint your car orange...
Meet the world's heaviest insect, which weighs three times more than a mouse... and eats carrots
- New Zealand's giant weta is the heaviest insect in the world and this one is the largest ever recorded
By Jessica Satherley
Last updated at 9:02 AM on 2nd December 2011
A nature-lover has revealed how he spent two days tracking down a giant insect on a remote New Zealand island – and got it to eat a carrot out of his hand.
Mark Moffett’s find is the world's biggest insect in terms of weight, which at 71g is heavier than a sparrow and three times that of a mouse.
The 53-year-old former park ranger discovered the giant weta up a tree and his real life Bug's Bunny has now been declared the largest ever found.
Big appe e: A former park ranger from America found the heaviest ever recorded giant weta on New Zealand's Little Barrier Island and fed her this carrot out of his hand
Various species: There are over 70 types of Weta species in New Zealand but the giant weta has been named the biggest insect in the world because of its weight
WORLD'S LARGEST INSECT
There are over 70 types of Weta species in New Zealand but the giant weta has been named the biggest insect in the world because of its weight.
A female giant weta filled with eggs can reach up to 70g or more and the largest of the species are found on Little Barrier Island.
They are usually less social and more passive than other weta.
Their diet consists of plants, other small insects and fruit.
Their size is an example of island gigantism, which is a biological phenomenon leading to a larger size than their mainland relatives because of their isolation and lack of large predators.
He came across the cricket-like creature, which has a wing span of seven inches, after two days of searching on a tiny island.
The creepy crawly is only found on Little Barrier Island, in New Zealand, although there are 70 other types of smaller weta found throughout the country.
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The giants of the species were wiped off the mainland by rats accidentally introduced by Europeans.
After Mark found the female weta he fed it the carrot before putting it back where he found her.
Mark, 53, said: ‘Three of us walked the trails of this small island for two nights scanning the vegetation for a giant weta.
‘We spent many hours with no luck finding any at all, before we saw her up in a tree.
‘The giant weta is the largest insect in the world, and this is the biggest one ever found, she weighs the equivalent to three mice.
‘She enjoyed the carrot so much she seemed to ignore the fact she was resting on our hands and carried on munching away.
‘She would have finished the carrot very quickly, but this is an extremely endangered species and we didn't want to risk indigestion.
‘After she had chewed a little I took this picture and we put her right back where we found her.’
Mark, from Colorado, America, added: ‘We bug lovers hear a lot of people who think insects are inferior in some way because of their size, so it was great to see such a big insect.
‘This became all the more amazing when we realised that this was the largest insect recorded.’
Imagine that fat hitting the windshield at 75mph...it would paint your car orange...
friendly, eats out of your hand, what's not to like?
Looks like Jimminy Cricket to me. Probably has a better personality than most people I know.
Now pull it's legs off.
the house. I just don't want to find that insect in my pants.
on second thought...
Imagine waking up at night with that big thing munching on your toe that looks like a carrot.
what the . I'm sure I've got bigger problems if I've got toes that look like carrots.
Well then that feet should always be covered when in New Zealand or else.
no insecton second thought...
I'm pretty sure it's a female in the pic. I would confirm if only I could locate the crest of the labia.
i would scream like a little if that thing came near me
real talk.
I'd much rather see that in my house than one of these ers
tbh their stings don't even hurt that bad, hornets and every kind of bee are worse imo, but they still freak me out and are so damn common
Yeah, all those freak me out. I'll run screaming like a girl around anything that flies and stings and looks like pure evil.
In East Texas, there are these things:
Uncurled, it's probably 2 inches. They live underground in holes they dig in the ground. In the morning and evening in Summer, they swarm about 1 foot over the ground around their burrows. Supposedly, they are not aggressive and don't sting much. My parents used to make me mow the lawn even if those things were out there. I still have nightmares.
Oh yeah, I forgot. They catch locust and carry them into their holes. And locusts are pretty damn big.
wtf? I lived in Longview most of my life and I don't think I've ever seen one of thoseYeah, all those freak me out. I'll run screaming like a girl around anything that flies and stings and looks like pure evil.
In East Texas, there are these things:
Uncurled, it's probably 2 inches. They live underground in holes they dig in the ground. In the morning and evening in Summer, they swarm about 1 foot over the ground around their burrows. Supposedly, they are not aggressive and don't sting much. My parents used to make me mow the lawn even if those things were out there. I still have nightmares.
Oh yeah, I forgot. They catch locust and carry them into their holes. And locusts are pretty damn big.
I'd rather find that than one of these in my house:
I'm suprised tbh. I lived in Tyler for about 25 years. They started to become prevalent around 1982 or so.
edit: ^ that being said, I haven't lived here in years so I don't know if they are still around or were eradicated.
Last edited by cantthinkofanything; 12-02-2011 at 04:27 PM.
I'm sure even my toeless foot could stomp that bug.
Better than black widows, those little ers give you muscle spasms if they get you in the back or leg. Brown recluse would be one of the worst, thankfully they stick to florida.
Cicada killers...see them every year. They are not aggressive like a red wasp but they will scare the out of you if they fly near you. It's crazy to watch one chasing down a cicada. The cicadas scream when they catch them.Yeah, all those freak me out. I'll run screaming like a girl around anything that flies and stings and looks like pure evil.
In East Texas, there are these things:
Uncurled, it's probably 2 inches. They live underground in holes they dig in the ground. In the morning and evening in Summer, they swarm about 1 foot over the ground around their burrows. Supposedly, they are not aggressive and don't sting much. My parents used to make me mow the lawn even if those things were out there. I still have nightmares.
Oh yeah, I forgot. They catch locust and carry them into their holes. And locusts are pretty damn big.
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