Post #14483

Giant weta: These monsters are replacing hares in New Zealand! And also mice, shrews, squirrels and even moles. But how did it happen that the grasshopper - although damn big - managed to occupy a whole bunch of ecological niches at once and turn into the most important inhabitant of the jungle? In short, he was just lucky! Several tens of millions of years ago, the ancestors of the Ueta accidentally came to the New Zealand archipelago and found themselves in a real paradise! The climate is ideal, there is plenty of food, and the only predators are birds and bats, who have their own affairs. The insects quickly realized that they needed to reproduce and increase their mass while they had the opportunity. This is how once ordinary grasshoppers turned into real giants: the largest wetas can be up to 22 centimeters in length with a body weight of 70 grams. “It’s not that much,” you say. “He weighs as much as two sparrows,” I answer. Significantly grown grasshoppers gradually settled across all the large islands of New Zealand, divided into 11 species and densely populated all landscapes. Some moved to rocks and rocky outcrops, others climbed into trees, and still others remained digging in the leaf litter. But all of them, regardless of place of residence, are ready to eat everything that is not nailed down. Grasshoppers feed on fruits and nuts and don’t mind chewing on juicy stems, as well as beetles that chew on juicy stems nearby. Yes, they don’t even refuse carrion - experiments show that wets willingly gobble up raw pork and beef, and almost purr at the same time. Thanks to this ability, they managed to take on many ecological roles at once, causing island ecosystems to revolve around themselves. Like rodents, they control the growth of plants on the islands, preventing them from strangling each other. Like insectivores, they eat herbivorous insects, preventing them from destroying vegetation at the roots. Perfect balance on fragile chitinous shoulders. But even such a privileged position does not last forever. Europeans sailed to the islands on their pot-bellied ships, in the holds of which mice and rats were hiding. People began to cut down forests, plow fields and build the first cities, destroying the habitat of insects. And the rats and mice began to take away her bread from the weta. After all, not a single grasshopper, not even the largest one, can compare with an ordinary mouse. The ending of this story has not yet been written, but it is unlikely to be good. 10 out of 11 species of giant weta are in the Red Book, and their numbers continue to decline despite all the efforts of people. However, there is still a chance that New Zealanders will be able to reverse the situation. 🏀 Hit the hoop and get an NFT gift — https://t.me/BasketbolX_bot