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‘The future is bright’: breeding programme brings world’s heaviest insect back from the brink

The Guardian UK Monday 05 October 2026, 05:19 UTC By Eva Corlett in Wellington 1 min read
Key Points

Wētāpunga can weigh as much as a mouse and its numbers dwindled across New Zealand due to predators and habitat lossThe population of New Zealand’s endemic wētāpunga – believed to be the world’s heaviest insect – is officially “recovering” thanks to a groundbreaking breeding programme that has overseen the release of 11,000 insects into the wild. “The future of wētāpunga is looking bright,” said Dr Chris Green, an honorary researcher at the department of conservation, who documented the...

Wētāpunga can weigh as much as a mouse and its numbers dwindled across New Zealand due to predators and habitat loss

The population of New Zealand’s endemic wētāpunga – believed to be the world’s heaviest insect – is officially “recovering” thanks to a groundbreaking breeding programme that has overseen the release of 11,000 insects into the wild.

“The future of wētāpunga is looking bright,” said Dr Chris Green, an honorary researcher at the department of conservation, who documented the success of the project for the New Zealand Journal of Zoology. Green co-authored a report released on 2 October that outlines the success of the breeding programme.

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Wētāpunga (LOCATION) New Zealand (LOCATION) New Zealand’s (LOCATION) Chris Green (PERSON) the department of conservation (ORG) the New Zealand Journal of Zoology (ORG)
Originally published by The Guardian UK Read original →

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