New Zealand Weta

An insect native to NZ. We found 9 on these guys in our garden umbrella today. They are about 2 to 3 inches long in the body and measure about 6 inches from the feeler tips to the ovipositor tip at the rear end.

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7003/6...64fa3239_o.jpg

This is a nice fat female. You can see her long ovipositor in the background.

Great photo Mark, of a wonderful looking beast.

I find the background a bit distracting, but I've just read about Weta on Wikipedia and I guess you did not want to pick it up and move it elsewhere.

Dave