Chlidonias

Giant Weta (Deinacrida heteracantha)

February 2021
Photographed during the day on Tiritiri Matangi, an island sanctuary off Auckland.

Giant Weta are so big that they can't fit into holes like the smaller weta species can - instead they just find a really poor hiding place in a tree (in this case on a branch under the frond of a tree fern) and wait until dark. This is why they disappeared off the mainland soon after rats arrived in New Zealand.

This one is a female, as can be told by her ovipositor.
 

Media information

Category
New Zealand - Wildlife
Added by
Chlidonias
Date added
View count
697
Comment count
1
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Image metadata

Device
Canon Canon EOS 1100D
Aperture
ƒ/5
Focal length
200.0 mm
Exposure time
1/60 second(s)
ISO
800
Flash
On, fired
Filename
IMG_8434.JPG
File size
4.5 MB
Date taken
Fri, 26 February 2021 11:28 AM
Dimensions
4272px x 2848px

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