Liz Gordon spotted this monster locust; the only one seen on our visit. This species is active mostly at night. During the day they hide in trees. This is arguably the world's largest insect having a body length of up to four inches and weighing up to 70g when gravid. However adults typically weigh about half that. Adult females, such as this average larger than the males. In nature this threatened species survives only on Little Barrier Island where 18 were initially captured for a highly successful captive breeding program. In December 2011, 25 Giant Weta bred at the Auckland Zoo were released on Tiritiri Matangi Island with an additional 150 insects released there in May 2014. Canon PowerShot SX50 HS.
References:
New Zealand Department of Conservation (DOC). "Giant weta / wetapunga: New Zealand invertebrates" Available at: http://www.doc.govt.nz/nature/native-animals/invertebrates/weta/giant-weta-wetapunga/. Accessed March 16, 2017.
Wikipedia contributors. Deinacrida heteracantha. Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. March 15, 2017, 16:18 UTC. Available at: https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Deinacrida_heteracantha&oldid=770465447. Accessed March 16, 2017.