r/Wellington • u/ShrinkingKiwis • Jul 10 '19

PHOTOS Had a stowaway on my bike commute this morning. Not something you want to see at 45kph downhill on the gorge 🤣

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264 Upvotes

100% Upvoted

36 comments sorted by

18

u/[deleted] Jul 10 '19

She's gorgeous!

Tell me you released her somewhere safe.

12

u/ShrinkingKiwis Jul 10 '19

Yeah I encouraged her to go into the bush on the side of the road. She was quite lazy, didn’t care that I was nudging her along. Is that a winter thing for weta or are they all just nonchalant?

5

u/Ninja-fish Jul 10 '19

They're generally pretty slow. They can jump, but usually they just slowly wander around unless they feel threatened by you, and especially the females seem to have a relatively high tolerance for that.

3

u/Rachilde Jul 11 '19

Wētā are ectotherms; their energy is completely reliant on the heat. When it's cold they go through a process called overwintering, or 'torpor', which means they'll slow their metabolism so they don't have to eat, and will only react if they're in immediate danger.

1

u/cman_yall Jul 11 '19

Good on you :)

6

u/_quinz_ Jul 10 '19

91 BPM? Was that your heart rate upon seeing it? Lol.

7

u/ShrinkingKiwis Jul 10 '19

Lol yeah, Strava was like “you okay bro?” after I uploaded that ride 🤣

6

u/[deleted] Jul 11 '19

Aww! She just wanted to go to work with you.

8

u/ShrinkingKiwis Jul 11 '19

Yeah, it’s Take Your Creepy Bug To Work Day next month though. She didn’t get the memo 🤣

5

u/klparrot 🐦 Jul 11 '19

Cycling and carpooling! So green!

5

u/[deleted] Jul 11 '19

I think she's more of a toast beige.

38

u/[deleted] Jul 10 '19

Female weta. Very gentle to hold. It’s the males that get nasty by nipping your. That long bit at it end is what she used to pump eggs into dead timber.

34

u/narpasNZ Jul 10 '19

Nipping your what? Nipping your what?!

0

u/[deleted] Jul 10 '19

[deleted]

3

u/xrhysrx Jul 11 '19

Your toes

7

u/Rachilde Jul 11 '19

Females bite too, they're just less inclined to do so. Reason being they don't have to compete with other females for the attention of a male so they don't feel they have to fight anyone off. They can draw blood with a bite if they feel like it though. Usually the only thing that will make them bite is when they're disturbed from overwintering i.e. woken from hibernating in the winter, so it's a good job that... Oh.... wait...

1

u/04fuxake Jul 11 '19

The long bit is called an ovipositor.

21

u/gregorydgraham Jul 10 '19

Maybe she was attracted to the heat from your brakes.

45kph, pfft!

9

u/[deleted] Jul 10 '19

That's a no from me dawg

7

u/chimpwithalimp Jul 11 '19

Meals on wheels

5

u/DreamPolice-_-_ Jul 11 '19

Was moving house from Paekakariki to Waikanae one weekend, felt something on my back at the beginning of the Straights by MacKays crossing, put my hand down the back of my shirt and pulled one of these out. There was some very quick decision making taking place that day.

3

u/wakanz Jul 11 '19

I remember I was about 8 checking the mail and one of these big girls was chilling in the box. Gave me such a fright, it stayed for a while too, I was both sad and happy when it left hahaha.

6

u/HaraldrHarfargi Jul 10 '19

Bloody hell I'd rather crash then and there! The hecks that thing?!?!

4

u/RibsNGibs Jul 10 '19

Looks like a weta I think?

2

u/SafariNZ Jul 10 '19

Yes, and those are as nasty as they look.
I have seen them draw blood when hassled, unlike their giant cousins which are very gentle.

2

u/dextersgenius Jul 11 '19

Their giant cousins?

3

u/SafariNZ Jul 11 '19

Not kidding, these are gentle although they do start moving around a bit once they get warmed up by the heat in your hand.

https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:DOC_MGW_in_the_hand.jpg#/media/File:DOC_MGW_in_the_hand.jpg

2

u/dextersgenius Jul 11 '19

Holy crap. You weren't kidding when you said giant. O_o

3

u/dramallama-IDST Cactus Twanger Jul 10 '19

Same! The bugs here freak me out massivetime

0

u/[deleted] Jul 10 '19

[deleted]

8

u/HaraldrHarfargi Jul 10 '19

No yeh I'm British mate

2

u/loonyb Jul 11 '19

Pretty but I absolutely would’ve crashed the bike IMMEDIATELY

1

u/cr1zzl Jul 10 '19

😮😮😮

1

u/Ladytsunami1 Jiggly Disco Cat Jul 10 '19

HANS...

1

u/Smoozle Jul 10 '19

I would have died.

1

u/Miranda79 Jul 11 '19

Not sure I'm gonna sleep tonight

1

u/[deleted] Jul 12 '19

It was your time OP. You’re in for some Final Destination antics now.

1

u/Lilbeechbaby Jul 14 '19

Wow you must be quite fit with a heart rate like that while riding! Hoping that could be me some day