Comments on: The World’s Heaviest Insect Is 3,500 Times More Massive Than the Smallest Vertebrate

By: Gordon Haas

Gordon Haas — Thu, 09 Feb 2012 21:31:00 +0000

Now compare that with the colossal squid (Mesonychoteuthis hamiltoni, the largest known invertebrate, which weighs in at as much as 495 kg., which is more than 6,970 times the weight of the Giant Weta, and more than 24,750,000 times the weight of the frog.

By: Ava

Ava — Mon, 06 Feb 2012 05:19:00 +0000

How beautiful they both are!

By: Art

Art — Fri, 03 Feb 2012 21:17:00 +0000

This giant cricket is what Weta Studios in New Zealand is named after: the people who design the fantastic creatures for films such as the ‘Lord of the Rings’ trilogy !

By: mickey

mickey — Fri, 03 Feb 2012 14:49:00 +0000

lmfao thanks – i needed that laugh this morning…

By: Guest

Guest — Fri, 03 Feb 2012 09:41:00 +0000

That is one big-a** grasshopper …..

By: Jonny

Jonny — Thu, 02 Feb 2012 21:58:00 +0000

…is what she said after stepping inside the computer lab.

By: Rolf Worth

Rolf Worth — Thu, 02 Feb 2012 21:30:00 +0000

These insects are getting huge because of Global Warming. It is the end of the world.

By: Zooman

Zooman — Thu, 02 Feb 2012 21:06:00 +0000

Last I heard, millipedes are NOT insects.

By: Zooman

Zooman — Thu, 02 Feb 2012 21:04:00 +0000

The cricket is full of eggs. I wonder if they are fertile.

By: Anonymous

Anonymous — Thu, 02 Feb 2012 17:11:00 +0000

Hi Max, for more discussion on the “heaviest animal” moniker, check out the discussion in this piece, which is where we first learned about the weta: http://photoblog.msnbc.msn.com/_news/2011/12/01/9150501-worlds-biggest-bug-that-depends

By: Max Blake

Max Blake — Thu, 02 Feb 2012 11:11:00 +0000

It never says it’s a comparison of like for like. It’s a very vertebrate-centric view of the world to promote an idea that a larvae as just some insignificant stage in the life cycle of an animal. Over 800,000 species of described animal, around 2/3rds of all described animals have this life cycle with a massive feeding larvae. I agree that it is stupid to compare it to a vertebrate larvae, but just concentrating on large adults is, as I say, a very vertebrate-centric view of animals.
Just looking at the ‘maximum weight an animal reaches in its life cycle’ should be synonymous with the ‘heaviest animal’.

By: Gee Aye

Gee Aye — Thu, 02 Feb 2012 03:50:00 +0000

This is a comparison of like with like so your larval example is not relevant. I mean how silly would it be to have then compared the vertebrate equivelant of larva?

By: Gee Aye

Gee Aye — Thu, 02 Feb 2012 03:47:00 +0000

Yes but what about insects?

By: DylanTK

DylanTK — Wed, 01 Feb 2012 23:49:00 +0000

I simply cannot determine which beastie is cuter.

By: Max Blake

Max Blake — Wed, 01 Feb 2012 21:27:00 +0000

It’s not the World’s Largest Insect! The larvae of many species of beetle get much heavier than this, weighing over 100g. Dynastes hercules and D. neptunus get around 150g, four species of Goliath beetle larvae, Goliathus, get over 100g, and some of the largest elephant beetles, Megasoma, get over 200g. Some beetles like titan beetles, Titanus, probably get as heavy as this, possibly heavier. Because the larval biology of many beetles is so poorly known, there are probably even heavier species. I think the current record is for a Megasoma acteon which weighed 228g, over three times heavier than the weta.

By: Donna Hamilton

Donna Hamilton — Wed, 01 Feb 2012 19:41:00 +0000

Well it’s not the heaviest one found, but it’s still awesome!!
Check out this video of hunting the tree/bush weta
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tC3kRsYqDxY

By: Relicaxe

Relicaxe — Wed, 01 Feb 2012 18:32:00 +0000

Actually, 300 million years ago insects could grow quite large. Some up to 5 feet (millipedes for example) because the atmosphere contained a much higher percentage of oxygen. For modern day though I would agree that this insect is probably reaching the size cap.

By: Anonymous

Anonymous — Wed, 01 Feb 2012 18:27:00 +0000

It may depend on the oxygen content and air density, but the research is still being conducted. The prehistoric atmosphere may have allowed insects to surpass that limit. There are prehistoric dragonflies that had a wing span of 2.5 ft: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Meganeura

By: Tony Mach

Tony Mach — Wed, 01 Feb 2012 17:49:00 +0000

I doubt it. There is a size limit to insects AFAIK, they are limited by their tracheal system (“decentralized” breathing), their circulatory system (no heart) and their exoskeleton. I would imagine this beast is close to that limit.

By: H Davis79

H Davis79 — Wed, 01 Feb 2012 16:48:00 +0000

How about prehistoric insects. I’m sure some were much much bigger.

By: Sapphyre

Sapphyre — Wed, 01 Feb 2012 16:14:00 +0000

Awww I love fwogs!

By: Mud

Mud — Wed, 01 Feb 2012 15:24:00 +0000

Is that the bug that starred in the first MIB movie?

By: Precursor

Precursor — Wed, 01 Feb 2012 15:18:00 +0000

All the strange strange creatures …