Wild Wētā

High in the mountains, a prehistoric insect fights to survive — and we’re just beginning to understand how to help.

Tucked among the loose rock and scree of our alpine zone lives one of Aotearoa’s most remarkable — and most elusive — creatures: the Southern Alps giant wētā Deinacrida pluvialis.
Hefty, nocturnal, and restricted to only the dampest, most isolated alpine recesses, this wētā is now seriously threatened with extinction.

Once more widespread, this species has been driven to the margins of its former range by the arrival of fuzzy, toothed invaders — mice, stoats, and other predators that didn’t evolve alongside these slow-moving insects.

Unlocking secrets in the alpine zone

Since 2023, our team has been venturing into the backcountry to learn more about where giant wētā survives, and how we can monitor it reliably without disturbing this fragile ecosystem.

In early 2025, our efforts paid off — we discovered a previously unknown population of these incredible insects. Every glimpse, every track, every new site adds to our understanding and strengthens the foundation for future protection.

A wētā that walks the night

We’ve developed a bespoke tracking tunnel network to measure wētā activity. In 2025, 72% of our tunnels showed signs of giant wētā, confirming high levels of activity in some alpine sites.

On two survey nights alone, more than 100 individual giant wētā were observed along just two of our tracking tunnel lines — showing that while these insects may be rare across the landscape, they’re capable of existing in surprising abundance where conditions are right.

But if they can thrive in these pockets, why have they disappeared from so many others?
The answer, we believe, lies in predation.

invest in nature

Next steps: turning data into action

We’re now preparing to calibrate our tracking tunnel network using a capture-mark-recapture approach. This will allow us to compare the number of tunnels tracked with actual wētā numbers from nocturnal surveys — refining our ability to accurately monitor population size and trends.

Tracking tunnels are simple, non-invasive, and widely used in conservation — but how sensitive are they for alpine insects? How do they stack up against other survey methods?
These are the questions we’re working to answer.

Once we have a robust monitoring tool, we can begin to trial predator management strategies in the alpine zone — but until we know how to measure success, we’re holding off on large-scale interventions.

Standing at the beginning of something important

Alpine wētā conservation is still in its infancy. These creatures have outlived glaciers and geological upheaval — but introduced predators may prove to be their biggest test yet.

We feel incredibly privileged to make a small contribution to the protection of D. pluvialis, and we know there is still so much to learn.

🦗 Want to dive deeper?
Read more in New Zealand Geographic’s story, “Citadel of the Giants” by Bill Morris — an exploration of this species and its alpine stronghold.