Monarch Butterfly Information Report.

We have been learning about mini bests in class as part of science. We have been creating information reports on a mini beast of our choice. I worked with Mylah, Billie and Ilish. The mini beast we chose had to live in aoteroa/New Zealand.

Animation Practise.

Today we were learning how to make an animation on google slides. To create this animation we had to use images off the internet and move them around the slides. To make our animation work we had to change the code from false to true.

Weta Information Report.

This is a piece of writing that we did for our mini beast topic when we were learning about weta. We had to write an information report on this insect.

Click here to see our success criteria.

   Native New Zealand Weta.

What is a Weta ?

Weta are a Native insect to New Zealand/  Aoteroa.

There are 5 main types of Weta in New Zealand but there are over 70
species. 

Weta are invertebrates and they have an exoskeleton so this means that
Weta have their skeleton on the outside of their body and they don’t
have a spine. Weta look similar to a giant Grasshopper or a cricket. Weta
have an abdomen and thorax, their abdomen is in their lower body and
their thorax is in their upper body. Weta are an insect so this means that
Weta have 6 legs. Wets have ears on their legs which is very unusual.

Where do weta live ?

Weta have their own preferred habitat and they all live in many different
places. Tree Weta  live in tree holes, in rotten logs and in the bushes.
Tusked weta live in the ground and under bushes. Ground Weta live in
burrows in the ground, under stones and small rocks. Giant weta live in
island sanctuaries so this means that they are rarely found out in the
open. Cave weta are found near the sea and in caves.

What do weta eat ?

Weta eat very different things to humans.

Most Weta are carnivorous but tree weta and giant weta are mostly herbivorous. Weta hunt for food at night. Ground weta climb trees as well as hunt for food on the ground. When ground weta hunt for food on the ground they like to hunt for leaves and small insects. Most weta like eating lichen, seed heads, fruit and small insects. 

How do weta reproduce ?

Weta reproduce differently from humans.

Weta are insects so they lay eggs. The female Weta lay their eggs in autumn. The female Weta lay 6- 10 eggs at a time. Weta lay their eggs at night. Weta lay their eggs out of an ovipositor, although it looks like a stinger it is not, it is a tube that the female Weta lay their eggs out of. When the female Weta lay their eggs they stick their ovipositor into the ground and lays her eggs in the ground. When Weta hatch out of their eggs as they get older they grow bigger so they have to shed their exoskeleton. At first when Weta shed their skin it is all soft but it hardens pretty quickly.

Are Weta social ?

     Weta live in groups from 10 - 20 in a tree hole. Mostly only tree weta live in big groups not really the other Weta species. When it is getting close to Autumn there can be dozens of female weta mating with a male weta in one tree hole. Male Weta fight over the female weta. Weta communicate with each other by rubbing their hind legs together and make a quiet chirping sound.

What are the biggest threats to weta ?

Weta biggest threats are Rats, Cats, Stoats, Moreporks, dogs and Tuatara.To protect Weta in the future we can try not to scare or kill the Weta. Before humans came weta biggest threats were only Birds and Tuatara. The main thing we need to do to make sure that Weta survive is to make homes and habitats for them.

By Hannah.