Quick Dips

Weta With A Walkman

Victoria University biologist Dr Mary McIntyre is using radio tracking to study the lifestyle of the Mana Island giant weta.

Giant wetas are one of the world's biggest insects, and Mana Island holds one of the three small populations remaining of the insect. Female Mana Island giant wetas weigh up to 25 grams, while the smaller males reach 12-15 grams.

Radio transmitters, about the size of a little fingernail and weighing less than two grams, are fixed to the wetas' backs with a silicone adhesive. The transmitters, nicknamed "Walkmans", have been adapted from a model originally developed to track native bats, and seem to have no adverse effect on the insects.

McIntyre, in association with the Department of Conservation, is working on a management plan to ensure the survival of the endangered giants.