A cricket-like creature with a wingspan of close to seven inches. The giant weta is the world's biggest insect weighing up to 71 gramme or three times the size of an average mouse. It is capable of devouring whole carrots.

The species was previously found on the New Zealand mainland, but disapeared when rats were introduced by Europeans. The giant weta was rediscovered in November 2011 by entomologist Mark Moffett on New Zealand's remove Barrier Island.