Creatures and Features: Wētā

Wētā have been around long enough to see dinosaurs come and go and to evolve into more than 100 different species, all of them endemic to New Zealand.

Wētā are incredible looking creatures. They range in size, but with their big bodies, spiny legs, and curved tusks, they are one of New Zealand's most recognisable creepy-crawlies.

Wētā have become icons for invertebrate conservation in New Zealand because many species are threatened or endangered. There are more than 100 species of wētā in New Zealand, 16 of which are at risk.

There are five broad groups of wētā:

• Tree wētā
• Ground wētā
• Cave wētā
• Giant wētā
• Tusked wētā

Wētā are mainly herbivorous in the wild, but are also known to eat insects. They are also partial to peanut butter, and don’t have a preference for smooth or crunchy.

They are nocturnal and live in a variety of habitats including grassland, shrub land, forests, and caves. They excavate holes under stones, rotting logs, or in trees, or occupy pre-formed burrows. There are several designs for wētā houses that can make sure your local wētā in your garden can live like invertebrate the royalty they are.

A great resource for a wētā house is the Kiwi Conservation Club website - https://kcc.org.nz/portfolio/make-a-weta-house/