This piece of writing that we did for our minibeast topic when we were learning about weta. We had to write an information report on this insect.
Textural Weta of Nz
What is a weta?
Weta are native insects to NZ.
Weta have an invertebrate and an exoskeleton. An invertebrate is an animal that has its skeleton on the outside which is called an exoskeleton and they don’t have a spine. Weta are also similar to crickets. They have 6 legs and 2 antennae. They have ears just below the front on their joint knees and they have a thorax and abdomen. Maori thought wetas were ugly so they called them a punga aka spirit of ugliness. There are five main types of wetas and 70 others. Although weta might not look pretty, they are an important native insect.
Where do weta live?
Weta live in many different places (eg. a forest or swamp) not only that but also in rotten logs, the whenua (ground), in trees and sometimes your house. They have been around before the mokonui (dinosaurs) aka the triassic age. They mostly like wet environments like a rainforest. Only some species of animals live in rainforests.
What do weta eat?
Weta of course eat plants and weeds but surprisingly they also eat kāreti (carrots). Weta not only eat your kai (food), they also eat what it came from. Seeds. They can be omnivores, carnivores and herbivores. Carnivores for eating other insects, herbivores for eating plants or weeds, and omnivores for eating both.
What are wetas threats?
Weta have a lot of threats including tangata (us), they have birds as one, hedgehogs as another, porakas (frogs) as an additional etc. These animals weren’t the only threats through their whole life. Before us, they only had 2 threats, birds and tuatara. They are also dying out which is bad so here are some tips for protecting them. Look after them and their habitat (nohanga), don’t take them and move them somewhere far away from their original home and the main one of all, STOP SQUISHING THEM!
Where or how do weta breed?
Weta breed in grass places like the forest, your backyard, in trees or in a school field. They use a thing on their back to dig (ovipositor) into the ground and lay over 300 eggs. 4/10 only lay in aroaromahana kōrua matiti(spring and summer), 6/10 do it in autumn and no weta like doing it in winter. Weta eggs take 6-8 months aka half a year or 2 seasons to hatch which gives birds a massive advantage and a massive disadvantage. Advantage: weta don’t protect their egg. Disadvantage: they are in the ground and can’t reach them.
Are weta social?
No but most tree weta are, they are more hangu (passive) and social. The others are loners and probably aren’t carnivores or hunters at all. If they did want to contact other weta, they would use their legs to make a kita (chirping) sound. We aren’t the only ones that can communicate. We talk and communicate, weta chirp and communicate. They are also playful.
