Tangwystl Cottage - it's been BUGging me
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Very broadly speaking, they're our version of the grasshopper or cricket; and boy, do they hop!
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Say these words at parties and impress all your friends. Trust me, I know these things.
Wētā have been around long enough to see dinosaurs come and go and to evolve into more than 70 different species, all of them endemic to New Zealand. source (You really ought to check on the info on this page!)
Recently we picked up a stack of clay bricks from someone who lived further out in the country, and were quite 'entertained' by the sheer volume of little BUGgers pinging off out of the pile as we disturbed them.
More accurately, we wished they were pinging off, but more often they were flinging themselves at us much to the horror of my kids, lol.
I won't freak you out by adding pics of just how big the Giant Weta is, but google it for yourself. Its the one taking up most space sitting on a person's hand and is apparently the heaviest insect on earth. They are said to be 'gentle giants' though, so that is something.
https://www.doc.govt.nz/get-involved/conservation-activities/exploring-nature-with-children-booklet/in-your-own-backyard/build-a-weta-motel/
Weta are nocturnal and live in a variety of habitats including: pasture, shrub, forests, and caves. Weta excavate holes under stones, rotting logs, or in trees. They sometimes occupy pre-formed burrows. source
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image source
The Man vs Wild star has eaten all manner of creatures on location in the wild, including grubs, raw zebra, snakes and spiders, but he said the live tree weta he ate during filming was the worst thing he had tasted.
"It tasted literally like you'd imagine poo would taste. I've eaten a lot of bugs, but this was something else." source
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(extra tags: #photography #homesteading #lifestyle #insects #biology)
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I haven’t seen these critters for a long time @ravenruis Not pretty are they? I didn’t know that Bear Grylls had eaten one......he won’t be back for seconds by all accounts. 😁 I’m always on the lookout for ways to supplement our income but I don’t think anyone could pay me enough to eat a weta. 😩
You could never drag me to one of those wild food festivals either!
Used to make me roll my eyes, watching Fear Factor when contestants who declared themselves to be vegetarian would eat worms or insects in the hopes of a large prize. So much for principles. :P
I don’t know how they do it either @ravenruis I think they must be lacking normal taste buds and cast iron stomachs. 😁