The World's Biggest Insect!

Something that most of us have probably never had a true desire to see, find, hold, touch, or whatever it may be. Here it is.....the world's biggest insect.

                                          

The Giant Weta is said to be the biggest bug in the world. Some may argue that it is the Goliath Beetle with a wing span of 10 inches or the White Witch Moth with a wing span of 12 inches, but according to weight it is considered the largest insect on record. There is no doubt that this insect is a big one. It was found by Mark Moffett on Little Barrier Island in New Zealand where he specifically searched for it. It took him only 2 days to find his prize of this very rare and endangered beast of insects. While feeding it a carrot, he snagged this picture and then later let it go safely back to the tree it was originally found on.

                                         

With this image now stained in everyone's mind I'll now try to relieve some of your fear. This insect, although very large and rather terrifying, is no threat to humans whatsoever. It feeds mainly on leaves and is a slow mover. It also can not jump, kick, or bite. Other than its size and hiss as self defense, this insect is not much like the "godzilla" of insect predators you would imagine. It is actually the prey to animals such as moreporks, harriers, kingfishers, and tuatara. It is also said to be one of the most ancient types of land animals. However, its decline in population is accredited mainly to when mice and rats took up residence in New Zealand. The mice and rats made competition regarding food resources hard for the giant weta and some began to actually eat giant wetas as prey. The population of giant weta has been declining more and more each year and with a two year life span continues to decline rapidly. If you get nightmares from this creature then I guess it is comforting to know that they are extremely rare and endangered, but you should still remember that this insect poses no threat to humans, just like the majority of insects in general.

Information found from:
http://pestcontrolseo.wordpress.com/2011/12/02/is-the-largest-bug-in-the-world-the-new-zealand-giant-weta/
http://collections.tepapa.govt.nz/theme.aspx?irn=1356
http://www.geekosystem.com/record-breaking-giant-weta/

Images found from:
http://www.geekosystem.com/record-breaking-giant-weta/