Cave Weta

Cave Weta

There are more than 60 species of Cave Weta living in New Zealand.

Habitat:

Cave Weta are extremely rare and found in certain places such as in a damp cave, not often but under houses, under stones, in logs and sometimes in coal mines.

Appearance:

Cave Wetas have large black legs that are used to jump up to 2 meters. Above their head they have long antennas to feel around in the cave. They weigh up to 3.5 kilos and are 335mm in length that is including their legs and antennas. Cave Weta are known to be the only weta that do not have ears. They do not communicate or make sounds. They have a large head that contains their eyes and their strong jaw.

Life Cycle:

A female Cave Weta can lay up to 6 eggs, in a whole lifetime they can lay up to 3oo eggs. Only a female has a spike she uses it to lay the eggs. An egg takes 1 month to hatch and once it has it takes 18 months to become an adult. The Cave Wetas have been around since dinosaurs.

Diet:

The Cave Weta is an omnivore and it has a range of food that it eats such as plants, fruit, leaves, and dead insects.

Predators:

It has many predators like weka, kiwi, reptiles, but most commonly the Cave Wetas biggest threat are rats and bats.

Cave Wetas sleep at the top of the cave so their predators can’t get them at daytime but if the predator is in the cave or other habitat the weta will sometimes leap on them.

They are nocturnal insects but when the wetas go out at night they are in more danger because they have to get food which means thats when they are likely to die from a suprize of rats or bats bouncing on them.

Population:

The Cave Weta can live from 2-7 years and have different species all over New Zealand, South Africa and South America. They are related to grasshoppers and crickets as well.

The wetas have been around for centuries but are endangered because of their habitats being damaged and destroyed.