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Copy this google doc and add it to your tracking and trapping documents.

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Made out of cor-flute - Wild Eyes video.

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Your mission is:

Make a tracking tunnel and use it to detect wildlife in your backyard or park. Check out the notes for the tool list you need (above) and get snooping!

Instructions

1.TUNNEL VISION

Got your tools? (See notes above). Let's go backyard spying: cut your corflute or cardbord into approx 80cm x 50cm rectangle and fold long-ways so it forms a three or four sided tunnel. Tape it together.

You can also make a tunnel out of two plastic milk bottles with the ends cut off and slid together, but you'll need to cover it in dark wrap e.g. a black plastic rubbish bag.

2. FLOOR PAPER

Cover the entire bottom of the tunnel with a sheet of clean white paper.

(This is where the critter will leave its footprints.)

3. TAG THE CRITTER CRIB

Give your new tunnel a personal design or tag: your own animal detective or backyard spy logo would look mean. Mouse crib yo!

4. SELECT THE MENU

For rats, mice, hedgehogs and weta: peanut butter or Nutella is a great lure. Lizards (aka mokomoko) like banana, pears and honey. Mustelids (e.g. stoats) enjoy a bit of chicken neck or raw meat.

Place your lure on a leaf or in a milk bottle cap.

5. SET UP YOUR PAD

Take your lure and place it in the middle of the pad (or get mucky and simply smear the lure over the ink - just don't go hugging your mum in a good dress afterwards!).

The animal comes in one end looking for the lure, then gets its feet marked on the ink pad and leaves inky prints behind on your white paper.

(If you don't have an ink pad, whip one up out of a strip of rag or sponge soaked in food dye, and place on an ice cream container lid cut to size.)

6. SET THE TRACKER TRAP

Lay out the tunnel where you reckon the beasties will come out at night.

Most animals prefer to move along fence lines, under trees and around edges of ponds and streams. Check out the clues: little poos, footprints, plant damage, medium poos, fur, feathers, big poos, and ... tails! (skinks drop their tails as a defence mechanism).

You could use a u-shaped piece of wire to peg the tunnel in place, or go stealth-mode by covering it with dirt, leaves or sticks so it looks like a natural entrance.

7. TRACK THE TRACKS

Check the papers every few days and see what backyard bandits have been taking a liking to your tunnel by looking at the tracks they've left behind.

Your ink pad is going to catch a critter red-handed (or blue-footed like this baby gecko)!

You can ID the tracks at Pest Detective or use the citizen science site Nature Watch with your parent's help. Photo credit: Mike Bowie

8. UPLOAD THE EVIDENCE!

Take a pic of the results and send it our way to get your wild eyes to the next level! If there's no pic it didn't happen.

And send in a pic of your personalized designs/tags on the outside of the tunnel.

What do you think left these prints? Clue: it's name rhymes with feta.

WILD FACTOR

Wanna take it to the next level? Get together with your mates and neighbours and ID pests that threaten our native taonga (treasure) in your hood.

Then you can move up from pest detective to pest terminator. Check out some traps so you can build your own backyard Death Star for invasive predators and click the inspiration tab for the ways some cool kids are keeping Kepler kiwis ka pai! O-K!

OVERNIGHT SUCCESS?

Leave it out for a few nights to work its magic. All good if you don't have a backyard: it works just as well at the park.

If no beasts turn up at your tunnel after a day or two, try finding a better spot for it. Try two tunnels facing off in different places.

GET CLUED UP

Did an animal suspect take your bait and leave some mysterious prints? Think about the footprints in your tracking tunnel: how wide or narrow, or long are they? Do they have claws or not? Think about your backyard: does it have lots of trees close by, is it wet in winter? Why would an animal need claws or narrow feet?

What do you reckon your footprint would look like in a you-sized tracking tunnel. (And what sort of food would tempt you to come in?)

AOTEAROA CSI

Animals have different shaped feet, (and bodies, teeth, fur, ears and noses). Scientists call these features 'adaptations' that have evolved to help them survive.

What other critter clues were left behind? A poop or a tail? Note that the secret to identify weta from other animals (e.g. rat) is the round ends of the poo. Rat poo (which can look similar) is tapered at each end, weta have rounded poo with parallel sides like the ones shown.

Did you know that the giant weta and the giraffe have poops that are around the same size!!

Either the giraffe needs to up its poo game or the weta is punching well above its weight!

WHAT'S FOR TEA MUM?

Just like you, backyard beasties have everyday habits and regular routes (for example: rats often follow streams). Have a think about how you get to and from school or sports practice. Where do YOU score your kai? Now imagine you're a critter and what your routine might be like. Where do you find your food? Do you head down to the local compost for Friday night takeaways?

FAST FOOD

Introduced pests came from places very different to Aotearoa. In the natural habitat of the stoat it was much colder and they had to keep an eye out for heaps of other predators on their tail: they had to hunt and breed fast-as- or they'd become fast food themselves!

When stoats got to NZ, many of our native animals didn't have adaptations to protect themselves from these new up-tempo killing machines.

STOATALLY AWESOME!

It's useful to know what beasties are out and about, so we can get rid of them if we have to. For example, if 6 out of 10 tunnel cards show rat or stoat footprints, this gives a marker of 60% for pest 'density' in that area.

So if we're trying to get rid of those pests, we can put out traps (like this Goodnature A24), then use our tunnels to check again later to see if it's working or not: it's an uber-important tool for pest control.

Tracking tunnels, just like yours, are used by rangers to keep tabs on trouble in our parks and reserves.

TERRIBLE TIGGY-WINKLE

Hedgehogs are super cute right? What harm could they do (apart from stabbing your foot in a million places if you accidentally step on one)?

Well, hedgehogs are actually introduced pests who have come along and eaten a whole bunch of our weta, skinks, frogs (like in this video) and native bird eggs. Not very cute at all.

MISCHIEF MAKERS

Did you know: a group of rats is called a 'mischief' and they've certainly caused of a lot of trouble for NZ natives ... given what smarty pants mischief I get up to, what do reckon a group of kea should be called?

PEST BUSTERS!

If there's something dodgy in your neighbourhood, who ya gonna call? Ngahere Toa of Bay Bush Action! Ka pai dudes!

KIDS RESTORE KEPLER

By finding out what pests are in your back yard, you are taking the first step towards protecting the native animals that also share it. And then you can help get rid of them! Check out these kool Kiwi kids down the other end of Aotearoa: kicking the butt of predators to help Kepler kiwi.

Be a backyard ranger

Think about what actions you can take to bust the pests and bring more native animals into your own backyard. You could convince your parents to get a rat trap (like this Goodnature A24 trap).

Compete with your mates to see who can nab the most invasive pests - include all your neighbour's yards too and make your block into a mini wildlife sanctuary.

The winner gets live-in lizards, weta and tui!

HOME ADVANTAGE

Introduced pests threaten the native species that are 'taonga' (treasure) in Aotearoa. If we had less pests, we'd have more spectacularly unique animals, smarty-pants like me: the world's only mountain parrot!

- Kevin the Kea

EVERYTHING'S BETTER WITH WETA

If you're lucky you might've gotten some weta tracks on your tunnel. Weta - aka the demon grasshopper - are nocturnal (active in the night) flightless insects, like a big cricket with spiny legs and they're only found in New Zealand ...

The giant weta ('wetapunga' - the god of ugly things!) is the world's heaviest insect: 70g = 3x the size of a mouse!

THE BLOCK: NATIVE CRIB

If you find some new native mates (like skinks or weta) you could hook them up by building them a sweet new crib! Build a weta hotel or help our skinks on the brink by making a rock garden or hut to keep them safe and dry. Check out this video for the The Block - weta and mokomoko edition.

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Make a tracking tunnel and use it to detect wildlife in your backyard or park. Check out the notes for the tool list you need (above) and get snooping! Got your tools? (See notes above). Let's go backyard spying: cut your corflute or cardbord into approx 80cm x 50cm rectangle and fold long-ways so it forms a three or four sided tunnel.

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Beautiful resources on the different realms of the Atua.

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Atuatanga resources | Rangitāne o Wairarapa Education

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We've created a guide to help create school environments where our unique native species can thrive.

Before getting started, it's important to understand New Zealand's unique ecological context, the reasons we need to make Aotearoa predator free and the crucial role children play in this vision. Make sure children and anyone who is teaching this content know about our predator free fundamentals outlined in the Get Involved section.

A couple of things to consider:

Teach respect of all animals - we encourage schools and their students to be respectful of all animals, including the introduced predators you are removing.

Allow kids to opt-in - it's important to recognise that some children may not want to be involved in some aspects of predator control eg trapping. Give them the option.

1. IDENTIFY your goal

The first step in any introduced predator control program should be defining a goal or purpose.

Try making a clear statement of what you want your classroom to achieve; do they want to see more native birds nesting in your trees on the school grounds? Get rid of the rat from the school compost bin? Save the fruit trees in the school garden from the possums? Or encourage lizards to live in your grounds? Each goal will be unique to the area you and your children are trapping in.

Once you know what you and your class want to achieve, then consider which introduced predators you need to control so you can choose the best method for that predator.

How will you know if you have been successful in your efforts? It may be that the number of target predator species have decreased since you started your control, there's lots more fruit on your fruit trees, there's more native wildlife present and/or more native plant growth.

2. IDENTIFY what lives at your school

It may seem like a silly statement but it's important to know what's currently living around your school so you can measure the change over time. You should aim to find out what species you want to protect and which ones you want to remove.

Below are some useful resources to help you do this:

An Inquiry unit | Outdoor activity | Levels: 1-4: Use this resource to investigate introduced predators in your school grounds or another local green space.

Teacher Guide for years 4 - 8 which explores the impact people and introduced predators have had on the unique wildlife of Aotearoa NZ.

Discover what's in your playground resources for ways to get kids involved - it includes the use of chewcards, tracking tunnels and Garden Bird Surveys, Great Kereru Count etc.

3. TRAP - use traps/devices that are humane

You will need different traps depending on what introduced predators you have identified on your school grounds. All the traps we recommend have passed NZ humane standards. Give your students the opportunity to opt-in to a trapping group and lead the trapping plan. The places where predators chewed the chew cards are the best places to put the traps.

Zealandia have developed a useful Risk Analysis and Management Guide for your trapping and tracking programme.

Rats are the most commonly found introduced predator on school grounds. We suggest using the Victor Pro Rat Trap or a T-Rex Rat Trap in a wooden tunnel box.

If you want to know about trapping other target species, like stoats or possums, check out our Trapping Best Practice guide.

4. RECORD what you are doing

It's important to record what you are doing so you have information to refer back to if you decide to change how you do things. It's also useful for monitoring your trapping progress.

Good record-keeping will also help your school year group pass on information of your predator control efforts over to future students to replicate.

We suggest you use this trapping data recording form or create your own to record the following:

What equipment you are using e.g. Victor Professional rat trap

Where you've placed your equipment

How often you check, clear and reset/rebait your equipment

What lures/baits you are using.

If any of this changes through a season or year, record when, how and why.

If your classroom is also involved in restoration or planting on the school grounds, taking photos over time is a great way to record any changes. If you are trapping to support new growth on existing plants or to protect a planting programme in your school grounds, it's a good idea to take a photo before you start trapping and a series of photos periodically afterwards.

5. MEASURE results

It is important to take measurements regularly to see if your program is achieving its goal or not. Define how you will measure your success early on.

As well as counting the number of predators caught, it is important to know how many are left at the end of your predator control efforts.

Here are some of the ways you can do this:

Rats

Use tracking cards and tunnels before and after your control programme and record the differences

Complete regular bird counts to help monitor populations over time. You can also look out for fledged broods of fantails. Young fantails are darker than adults and will remain in a family group for several weeks. Seeing such groups is an excellent indicator of effective ship rat control.

Mustelids (stoats, ferrets & weasels)

Possums

Use chew tags or wax blocks before and after your program and record the differences.

Annual observations of possum.

Complete regular bird counts.

Monitor fruit trees for fewer bite marks

Want to do more?

Check out our School Toolkit for more information and resources. If you require anymore support, please email us.

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Predator Free School Guidelines - Predator Free NZ

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We've created a guide to help create school environments where our unique native species can thrive. Before getting started, it's important to understand New Zealand's unique ecological context, the reasons we need to make Aotearoa predator free and the crucial role children play in this vision.

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Investigating animal pests in your green space. DOC education.

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Investigating animal pests in your green space. DOC education.

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Goes through processes for investigating what is there - tracking. Some good resource links.

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Download the resource
Investigating introduced predators in your green space (PDF, 4,119K)
Factsheets

Slideshow

Who's that animal pest? (PPTX, 9,550K)
Students can use the factsheets (above) to help solve the introduced predator crimes outlined in this slideshow. Each case involves a different pest culprit.

Setting up tracking tunnel
Image: Shan Walker

Learning outcomes

Using this resource students can:

gather and interpret data about introduced predators living in a local green space

identify and learn about introduced predators and how they affect endemic and native plants and animals

begin to understand how introduced predators have an impact on the environment and wider ecosystem.

Curriculum links
Level 1-4 Science

Living World: Planet Earth and Beyond Level 1 and 2: Interacting systems: Describe how natural features are changed and resources affected by natural events and human actions.

Living World: Ecology Level 3 and 4: Explain how living things are suited to their particular habitat and how they respond to changes, both natural and human-induced.

Nature of Science: Investigating in science, Communicating in science, Understanding about science, Participating and contributing.

Science capabilities

Gather and interpret data

Use evidence

Critique evidence

Interpret representations

Engage with science

Level 1-4 Social Sciences

Level 1: Understand how the past is important to people.

Level 2: Understand how places influence people and people influence places; Understand how time and change affect people's lives.

Level 3: Understand how people make decisions about access to and use of resources.

Level 4: Understand that events have causes and effects.

English: Listening, Reading and Viewing

Maths: Statistics

Technology: Technological practice, Nature of technology

Learning sequence

1. Introduced predators in your green space - Individual students have personal experiences to spark their interest in predators and start to think about impacts.

2. Planning an investigation and learning more about introduced predators in NZ - Start or continue a learning inquiry. Students reflect on knowledge and then ask questions about predators. They make predictions and plan an investigation to learn more about introduced predators.

3. Gathering and reflecting on data about introduced predators in your green space- Monitor introduced predators in your green space through constructing and placing a monitoring tool such as tracking tunnels.

4. Extending thinking about introduced predators- Continue the learning inquiry: Investigate patterns and themes and form new ideas about predators. Explore Māori perspectives.

5. Sharing knowledge and next steps - Students share their findings with the community and then take the next steps in exploring their green spaces

Learning levels

Topics

Forests and green spaces

Pests and threats

Curriculum learning areas

Science

Social science

Education for sustainability

English

Maths and statistics

Webinars

Webinars are available to view on the Science Learning Hub website. They use the Exploring your local environment resources to model how conservation education can support student inquiry into a local green space:

Special thanks to Science Learning Hub for partnering with us to deliver these fantastic webinars.

Feedback

We would love to get your feedback about our resources so they are useful to you and your students.

Share your stories of teaching and learning in nature.

Give online feedback on DOC resources, or email conservED@doc.govt.nz.

Contact

For questions or feedback about these resources, email conservED@doc.govt.nz.

Viewing files on this page

If you can't view these files contact us to request another format.
About our files

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Investigating introduced predators in your green space

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Investigating introduced predators in your green space (PDF, 4,119K) Who's that animal pest? (PPTX, 9,550K) Students can use the factsheets (above) to help solve the introduced predator crimes outlined in this slideshow. Each case involves a different pest culprit.

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Pest detectives PD for teachers  - Science Learning Hub

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Pest detectives PD for teachers  - Science Learning Hub

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Inquiry learning approach with nature of science at it's core. Refers to key resources - links below. PowerPoint to support with slides you could use with students too.

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In this recorded professional learning session, Greta Dromgool from the Science Learning Hub and Adrienne De Melo and Ben Moorhouse from the Department of Conservation share the many learning opportunities available when investigating animal and plant pests. To support educators in developing their knowledge and skills, they:

introduce DOC resources investigating plant and animal pests

share engaging hands-on activities

scaffold an investigation into plant and animal pests.

Love the webinars and the DOC resources.
Teacher

You may find it easier to download the video and PowerPoint presentation.

Thank you. There are some great resources here.
Participant

We encourage you to join our discussion about conservation education - register in our online forum on Slack. In this forum, we share and discuss ideas and share resources.

Index

Nature of science

Acknowledgement

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In this recorded professional learning session, Greta Dromgool from the Science Learning Hub and Adrienne De Melo and Ben Moorhouse from the Department of Conservation share the many learning opportunities available when investigating animal and plant pests. To support educators in developing their knowledge and skills, they:

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Sign up for challenges to increase your eyesight.

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Kia ora! Do missions and make your eyes go wild. Learn ninja skills, get crafty, hunt poo and discover amazing stuff outdoors. What? Never hunted poo? Don't worry, it doesn't run fast...

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Example of a tracking and trapping Diary

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KCC version - easy to make

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Links to unit plan and resources on Science Learning Hub

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New Zealand birds have evolved in isolation from other countries over millions of years. The arrival of humans in New Zealand brought many threats to these bird species, including the introduction of mammalian predators, vegetation being burned to clear land, which destroyed vast areas of birds' habitats, and birds being eaten by early settlers.

Over a period of time, certain bird species have become critically endangered or extinct as a result of predation and habitat loss. Other bird species have survived because they have been able to adapt to different habitats and diets. Still others exist with the aid of a protected environment.

Conservation is important in maintaining biodiversity, which sustains ecosystems, preventing the loss of genetic material from the gene pool and recognising the value that certain species have to people.

Our resources look at the threats to our endemic birds in particular and explore different types of conservation techniques and methods of predator control.

Science concepts

Conserving native birds covers 3 key science concepts:

Meet our scientist

John Innes works on a wide range of restoration projects. These include getting tūī and bellbirds back into Hamilton and surrounding environments. Local government has used research he has been involved in on tūī movements, behaviour and nesting success to develop the Hamilton Halo project.

Take up the challenge

Student activities form an important part in our collection of resources on conserving our native birds. Educators may wish to start with this unit plan. Kim MacPherson, the teacher behind these resources shares how she used Conserving native birds to teach active reading in this article and in this PLD webinar.

Hands-on activities include Exploring genetic variation and Making a tracking tunnel. The New Zealand bush ecosystem and Classifying bird adaptations activities use cards and literacy techniques to explore key science concepts. Ethics in bird conservation provides issues for robust science debate.

Can we make New Zealand pest-free? is a series of lesson plans that involve students in the quest to conserve our native species.

The recorded PLD webinars Pest detectives and Eco-explorers use Department of Conservation and Hub resources to help teachers scaffold student learning opportunities and ecological investigations.

Meet our native ducks

The Hub has new resources on some our aquatic bird species. Introducing New Zealand ducks presents nine duck species - inlcuding endemic, native, naturalised and introduced species. Learn about ducks' conservation status in Who's who in the duck world. Use knowledge about the ducks in the activities Duck dominoes, Which duck is which? and Mixing and matching ducks.

Fantastic whio feathers and the activity Whio feathers - what are they for? explores the functions and adaptations of duck feathers.

Watch archived PLD webinars to learn about conservation inquiry, using the whio as a context: Diving into inquiry with whio, Why learn about whio?, Inquiry outside the classroom and Taking action for conservation.

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New Zealand birds have evolved in isolation from other countries over millions of years. The arrival of humans in New Zealand brought many threats to these bird species, including the introduction of mammalian predators, vegetation being burned to clear land, which destroyed vast areas of birds' habitats, and birds being eaten by early settlers.

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A way to record any tracks, finds, kills and have them verified by scientists.

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Dzivula Gube
Marine Conservationist & Underwater Photographer, Kenya

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iNaturalist is a social network for naturalists! Record your observations of plants and animals,
share them with friends and researchers, and learn about the natural world.

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Basic instructions.

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A trapping tunnel is a box to put a rat trap inside. The tunnel is designed to protect your young family members and pets from the trap.

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Humane & Effective Pest Management Solutions | Connovation Ltd

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Connovation delivers innovative, humane and effective solutions for the protection of New Zealand's natural environment and resources.

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Pre inked - groups of 50.

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Gotcha Traps
For inquiries or to make an order, please email us or give us a call!
Marcus +64 027 498 0229

Email: sales@gotchatraps.co.nz

Black Trakka Tracking Tunnel (Large)

Standard tunnels ( 100mm x 100mm x 500mm )
Includes 2 hold down wires.
Lightweight (130 grams) and VERY durable.

Inked Tracking Cards

Cards generally packaged in sets of 50 and last up to one year.

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Gotcha Traps For inquiries or to make an order, please email us or give us a call!Marcus +64 027 498 0229 Email: sales@gotchatraps.co.nz Black Trakka Tracking Tunnel (Large) Standard tunnels ( 100mm x 100mm x 500mm )Includes 2 hold down wires.Lightweight (130 grams) and VERY durable.

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Landcare Research NZ

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A bilingual interactive tool to help you identify bugs found around New Zealand.

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Comprehensive guide including lizards and insects,as well as pests.

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Good resources on the page. Ring to set up a visit.

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We're 30kms north of Masterton, Wairarapa and 10km south of Eketahuna, Tararua.

It's about 2 hours to drive north-east from Wellington, a little longer heading south-west from Napier, or an hour south from Palmerston North.

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Pūkaha National Wildlife Centre | Mt Bruce Wairarapa Aotearoa NZ

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Pūkaha National Wildlife Centre in Mt Bruce Wairarapa. See kiwi, feed eels, bush walk, guided tours, Kākā Café, native species. Conservation in action!

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Like the old website Akona Rangitāne II contains plenty of educational material that we hope will help visitors learn about Rangitāne o Wairarapa and Māori of the Wairarapa Region.

There is still information on a wide range of subjects including mythology, local Māori history, world views, tikanga, basic te reo, the natural world, basic needs ie food and social structure.

Documents, websites and other useful material produced by other sources have been utilized to provide a greater coverage and often to save duplication of an existing resource that aligns with understanding things Māori.

New features include
* Iti Kahurangi our first education curriculum
* A facebook feed so you can receive new information regularly and be able to interact quickly. Just send a friend request to connect.
* A section where you can find learning resources on all sorts of subjects. With teachers in mind many of the resources have teacher notes and curriculum links.
* New material to download including our children's and Rangitane o Wairarapa history books.
* Akona Rangitāne II is more visual to help find material easier. There are more photographs, paintings and murals. We are grateful to have been granted permission by artist Bronwyn Waipuka to use her beautiful paintings. See www.bwaipuka.co.nz

To learn more about Rangitāne o Wairarapa Incorporated go to www.rangitane.iwi.nz.
If you have an inquiry or would like assistance please contact:
Joseph Potangaroa email: tiri1@xtra.co.nz mobile: 027 857 4601
Mike Kawana email: mike@rangitane.iwi.nz mobile: 027 432 8825

For website design please contact: Mikis van Geffen email: info@mikis.co.nz

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Like the old website Akona Rangitāne II contains plenty of educational material that we hope will help visitors learn about Rangitāne o Wairarapa and Māori of the Wairarapa Region. There is still information on a wide range of subjects including mythology, local Māori history, world views, tikanga, basic te reo, the natural world, basic needs ie food and social structure.

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DoC youtube clip explaining why.

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Scroll down to find this info. Massey University

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Do you have an insect?:

Insects (Arthropoda: Hexapoda: Insecta) form an important group of invertebrates globally in almost all habitats. Like other arthropods including spiders and centipedes, insects possess jointed appendages. Chitinous exoskeleton, jointed appendages, three segmented body (head, thorax and abdomen), a pair of compound eyes, a pair of antennae and ectognathous (exposed) mouth parts distinguish insects from their non-insect relatives. Many insects possess 2 to 4 wings (Pterygota) and insects are the only invertebrates that possess active flight capability.

Do you have an orthopteran?:

Order Orthoptera (meaning straight wings) include grasshoppers, crickets, weta, locusts etc. Not all orthopterans have wings; in winged species, the wings can be folded over the body. Orthopterans can be differentiated from other similar insects (such as mantids, stick insects and cockroaches) by presence of enlarged hind legs that enable the orthopterans to jump. However a group of orhtopterans (mole-crickets) lack enlarged hind-legs, instead, the fore-legs are well developed and modified for burrowing (fossorial legs) into soil. Use the key below to delineate the 6 New Zealand Orthoptera families, based on different combinations of habitat (in the 1st collum of the below table) and morphological characters (in the 1st row of the below table).

Do you have a weta? Let us find out:

The Maori term "weta" is used for species belonging to two NZ ortrhopteran families; the Anostostomatidae (giant weta, tree weta, ground weta and tusk weta), and the Rhaphidophoridae (cave weta). The most familiar are tree weta, and a few large cave weta because they are the most commonly encountered. Most other species go unnoticed because they are small and forest-dwelling, and like all weta are nocturnal. Many species (especially among the ground weta and cave weta) remained to be described. Some species occur widely through New Zealand, whilst others have very small ranges. Depending on taxonomic treatment there are currently recognized about 29 Anostostomatide species (in five genera) including 11 giant weta, 7 tree weta, 3 tusk weta, 8 ground weta, and 54 Rhapidophoridae species (in about 16 genera).
Do you have a male or female weta?

female

male

ovipositor present

Ovipositor is egg-laying organ present in females

Which weta?
Key to separate the two "weta" families:

Go here an alternative key to New Zealand Orthoptera families other than Acrididae.

Which cave weta genus?...................continue here (the Rhaphidophoridae page) to find out more about New Zealand cave weta genera

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Do you have an insect?: Insects (Arthropoda: Hexapoda: Insecta) form an important group of invertebrates globally in almost all habitats. Like other arthropods including spiders and centipedes, insects possess jointed appendages. Chitinous exoskeleton, jointed appendages, three segmented body (head, thorax and abdomen), a pair of compound eyes, a pair of antennae and ectognathous (exposed) mouth parts distinguish insects from their non-insect relatives.

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Footprints and tracks of NZ Pests.

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Plague skinks may be identified via the segments on their toes, which are called 'lamellae': - between 11-13 lamellae on the 4 th toes of the front feet and between 21-23 on the 4 th toes of the rear feet. As lizards can be hard to capture, pre-inked tracking cards serve as a good way for wildlife managers to detect and identify lizard species. A good foot impression on the ink provides a way of counting lamellae and, therefore, identifying which species may be present.

Can be confused with:

Native skinks, particularly copper skinks, look very similar to plague skinks and there are few tell-tale signs to distinguish between them (see other clues, body covering). Therefore, the lamellae count of the front and rear 4 th toe can be very helpful. Native skinks have fewer than 9 lamellae on the front 4 th toe and fewer than 21 lamellae on the rear 4 th toe (see pop-up image at right.)

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House mouse prints are very small and on a tracking paper they can look like a scattering of dots. Mice seem to run backwards and forwards and leave prints everywhere and it can be difficult to distinguish individual prints. They can sometimes obscure prints from other species so it is important to check the cards very carefully for other prints that might be hidden under the mouse prints. It is important to look at how the dots are arranged, as weta, stick insects, other insects, and lizards also leave dotty-footprints, but in quite different patterns.

House mouse forefeet prints can be about 7.4mm wide and 5.1mm long, with four toes widely spaced in a circular pattern around up to three central pads. The hind feet prints are about 7.4mm wide and 6.74mm long and have five toes, with the middle three toes in front of the main pad (can be split into up to five segments) and the outer toes are either side of the main pad.

Can be confused with:
Mouse prints are unlikely to be mistaken for any other mammal, but other species can create 'false' mouse prints. Some silvereyes and blackbirds seem to develop a taste for peanut butter and enter tracking tunnels. The footprints they leave can be quite indistinct and can resemble mouse prints. They have been responsible for several moments of panic in supposedly mouse-free areas, but closer examination usually shows tiny lines across the print left by the scales on the bird's feet. Blackbirds also seem to be quite aggressive towards the tracking ink and quite often peck marks are visible where they have attacked it. Insects can also leave small footprints, but the grouping of dots (often in straight lines) is quite different to a mouse print. Lizard prints are also quite different: > see some examples.

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Kiore forefeet have four toes and the hindfeet have five toes, all with non-retractable claws. The hindfeet of adult kiore are 24.5mm to 31.0mm long, but the prints are usually shorter with only the toes showing. Kiore have a distinctive black diamond on the outer edge of their hind feet, while the rest of the foot and toes are pale. This can be a good way to distinguish between kiore and ship rats (which usually have dark hind feet).

Rat footprints show up clearly in tracking tunnels and forefeet and hindfeet are easily distinguished. In prints, the toes of the forefeet are widely spaced in a circular pattern, while the three central toes of the hindfeet are in a line with the two edge toes set slightly back. The forefeet have three main pads that are visible in tracks, while the hindfeet have around five pads. An adult forefoot print will be about 11.1mm wide and 15mm long. The hindfeet prints are about 15mm wide by 14mm long.

Rats have two main gaits on the ground - walking and running. If tracks are found in soft sediment it is possible to distinguish the gait from the arrangement of the footprints. When rats are walking, the prints are evenly spaced with distinct fore- and hind-footprints visible. When they are running, all four paw prints will be close together as the animal bounds along the ground.

Can be confused with:
Kiore footprints can be confused with Norway rat and ship rat prints as they can overlap in size at different ages.
Rat footprints from tracking tunnels can be confused with mustelid prints. They can be distinguished by drawing a line between toes 1 and 4 (A and B in photo "How to distinguish rat from stoat prints") on the forefoot and 1 and 5 on the hindfoot. In rats, this line will either bisect the central pad or be slightly behind it. In mustelids, the line will be in front of the central pad.

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Rat forefeet have four toes and hindfeet have five toes, both with non-retractable claws. The toes of the forefoot are widely spaced in a circular pattern, the three central toes of the hindfeet are in a line with the two edge toes set slightly back. Forefeet have three main pads that are visible in tracks and hindfeet have around five pads. Rat footprints show up clearly in tracking tunnels and fore- and hind-feet are easily distinguished.

It difficult or impossible to determine which rat species made each print, because there is a lot of overlap in foot size between adults and juveniles of the three different species. Thus educated guesses have to be made based on where the tracks were observed (which species are likely to occur or use that habitat) and what size the animal was. Ship rat forefeet prints are be about 13.1 mm wide and 11.9 mm long. The adult hindfeet prints are about 17.7 mm wide by 16.5 mm long, with the middle three toes in front of the main pads (up to five) and the outer toes either side of the main pads .

Rats have two main gaits on the ground - walking and running. If tracks are found in soft sediment, it is possible to distinguish the gait from the arrangement of the footprints. When rats are walking, the prints are evenly spaced with distinct fore- and hind-footprints visible. When they are running, all four paw prints will be close together as the animal bounds along the ground.

Can be confused with:
Rat footprints from tracking tunnels can be confused with mustelid prints. They can be distinguished by drawing a line between toes 1 and 4 (A and B in photograph "How to distinguish rat from stoat prints") on the forefoot and 1 and 5 on the hindfoot. In rats, this line will either bisect the centre pad or be slightly behind it. In mustelids, the line will be in front of the central pad. Ship rat prints can also be confused with Norway rat and kiore prints as they can overlap in size at different ages.

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Rat forefeet have four toes and the hindfeet have five toes, both with non-retractable claws. The toes of the forefoot are widely spaced in a circular pattern, while the three central toes of the hindfoot are in a line with the two side toes set slightly back. Forefeet have three main pads that are visible in tracks and hindfeet have around five. Rat footprints show up clearly in tracking tunnels and fore- and hind-feet are easily distinguished. Adult Norway rat forefoot prints are about forefoot about 11.5mm long by 20.2mm wide and hindfoot prints are 15.7mm long by 23mm wide . Only the front half of the foot leaves a print. Norway rat footprints are broad in relation to their length, but this isn't a reliable way to distinguish between rat species.

Rats have two main gaits - walking and running. If tracks are found in soft sediment. it is possible to distinguish the gait by the arrangement of the footprints. When rats are walking, the prints are evenly spaced with distinct fore- and hind-footprints visible. When they are running, all four paw prints will be close together as the animal bounds along the ground.

Can be confused with:
Rat footprints from tracking tunnels can be confused with mustelid prints. They can be distinguished by drawing a line between toes 1 and 4 (A and B in photo "How to distinguish rat from stoat prints") on the forefoot and 1 and 5 on the hindfoot. In rats, this line will either bisect the centre pad or be slightly behind it. In mustelids, the line will be in front of the central pad. Norway rat footprints can also be confused with ship rat and kiore prints, as they can overlap in size at different ages.

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Forefeet are hand-like but the hind feet are quite different. The forefoot has five fingers, each with a strong curved claw, and cushiony pads. The hind foot has an opposable 'thumb' without a claw and the second and third digits are fused for most of their length except the tips. The fusion of two toes is called syndactyly toe, and these toes are used for grooming fur. The claws can't retract.

You won't often see complete possum (fore and hind) prints on tracking paper, because possums don't fit in standard tunnels. Usually you see front paws only, which are impressions of four or five cushion pads plus four or five toe pads 1 to 1.5 cm out in front. If you do find fore and hind foot prints then the hind foot will be placed just behind (or slightly overlapping) the forefoot on the same side (e.g. both are left feet). Five or six cushion pads on the hindfoot might be visible. The cushion pads of the 2 nd and 3 rd digits are fused. The toe pad of the 'thumb' is usually visible and one or both of the 4 th and/or 5 th digit toe pads. The toe pads for the 2 nd and 3 rd digits may or may not show, but are not fused. The fur on the feet can smudge the prints.

Possums walk on all four feet when on the ground and the gait length is about 10 to 12 cm between placement of left and right feet. They make half bounds (short jumps) on steeper terrain and between branches and big bounds on tree trunks. The tail holds on to a branch until all feet are touching a solid surface. Possums can swim but don't much like water.

It is difficult to confuse possum prints with anything else as they are usually much larger than those of other species of small mammal in New Zealand. The toe pad marks are quite small relative to the cushion pad marks and the toe pads are spaced further than those of other species.

Can be confused with:

Rat, hedgehog, or ferret footprints. However, rat footprints are very much smaller and show less toe, especially on the hind foot. Hedgehog prints are smaller and quite circular in outline. Ferrets can also mess up tracking paper but the cushion pads and toe pads are in quite a different arrangement to that of possums.

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Rabbit footprints can be found on soft surfaces such as sand, snow and mud. Rabbit footprints are quite distinctive because the hind foot is much larger than the front. The dimensions of a rabbit's hindfoot prints usually are 75-95 mm long and 25 mm wide, while forefoot prints are 40 mm long by 25 mm wide. Often however, rabbits do not place all of the hindfoot on the ground when they run or the fur on their feet may disguise the footprint. In these instances, the length of the hind print could be 50 mm or less. Examining the tracks can show whether the animal is hopping slowly or running. When rabbits move around unhurriedly they bob (short hops) with the tail up, showing the white underside. When they are alarmed rabbits will scuttle in a rush with their tail down.

Can be confused with:

Distinguishing between hare and rabbit footprints is difficult, but hare footprints will be larger (the length of hare hindfeet are 130-155 mm). Looking out for other clues such as droppings or burrows is the only reliable way to determine which species made the tracks. Hares have a loping gait and always have their tails down.

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The brown hare's hind feet are much longer and slightly wider than the forefeet. The hind feet can measure up to 140-160 mm long in adults. In some gaits, only the toes and digital pads of the hind feet register on the ground and leave a print. Hares typically move at speed in bounds, which means the smaller forepaws touch the ground first and then the larger hind feet swing forward to land in front of the forepaws before the animal pushes off with its powerful hind legs. A hare's track therefore shows the hind feet in front of its forefeet. Tracks made at slow speed show asymmetrically placed hind footprints. On soft, surfaces such as snow, the four toes of the hind foot are spread, leaving prints that look rather like dog foot prints (though dog prints are symmetrical). The small forepaws leave pear-shaped footprints about 100-200 mm apart, in which four closely spaced toes usually show but not the fifth smaller toe. Hares have a loping gait and always have their tails down; rabbits hop and have their tail up.

Can be confused with:

Distinguishing between hare and rabbit footprints can be difficult but adult hare footprints are larger than those of an adult rabbit. Wallaby foot prints can look similar to hare footprints if the hare is using its entire foot (rather than just its toes), but wallabies have three toes (one of which is not obvious for dama wallaby) that are larger and more spread out than hares. Moreover, the drag mark of a wallaby's tail is often an obvious distinguishing characteristic and hare and wallaby distributions only overlap in one area of the North Island (see dama wallaby) and one in the South Island (see Bennett's wallaby). For reliable identification look for other clues such as droppings or burrows (rabbits dig burrows but hares and wallabies do not).

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The most commonly seen dama wallaby footprints are made by the front third of the hind feet. The hind feet are about 150 mm long in total. Dama wallaby have three toes on each of the hind feet but usually only the larger middle toe that points straight ahead and the smaller peripheral (outer) toe show in distinctive two-pronged prints. The small inner-most toe bears little weight and is used for grooming.

Dama wallaby footprints are usually side by side; hopping on their hind feet when moving at speed, with their fore-paws and tail held clear of the ground. When grazing, or moving slowly, dama wallaby adopt a 'penta-pedal' gait using all four feet as well as their tail. When moving forward in this manner they support their weight with their tail and forepaws while they move their hind feet forward. This is normally the only time that the tail, the five-digit fore-paws and the whole of the rear feet will leave prints and the distance between the hind feet will be greater than when they are moving at speed.

Can be confused with:

In the Bay of Plenty a clear dama wallaby footprint is unlikely to be confused with any other species (except on Kawau Island where other wallaby species also occur) but a faint or partial footprint (e.g. only one toe or only the claws) on a hard surface could be confused with a deer, sheep or goat print or possibly a large bird such as a turkey.

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Bennett's wallabies have a typical kangaroo-like foot and a long tail that is nearly as long as the rest of the body. The tail is sometimes used as a 'fifth support limb'. The hind foot has a long middle toe and a small toe either side. The heel of the foot may be visible in a footprint particularly on a soft surface and sometimes you may see the tail print also. The forefeet are more hand-shaped.

When moving fast, Bennett's wallabies hop using the two rear feet but use all four feet when moving more slowly, especially when feeding. Bennett's wallabies are also good swimmers, using a 'dog paddle' motion.

Can be confused with

As Bennett's wallaby is the only wallaby species in the South Island, its footprints are unlikely to be confused with other species.

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Prints are five-toed, resembling a ferret or large rat print. Forefeet are broader and shorter in length than the hindfeet, meaning there are two distinctly different prints left by the one animal. Hindfeet prints 40-45mm long and 30mm wide, but hedgehogs often walk only on the toes of the hindfoot. The forefeet are wider rather than long; 30mm long and 35mm wide. The toes are slightly turned out from the mid-line. The toe pads are large relative to the footpad and closer to the central pad compared to rat or ferret prints. The claws are long and sharp and can show in prints. Sometimes the footprints will overlap.

When running the gait (distance between feet) is about 100mm and the body is held off the ground. When feeding or exploring the body is held lower and some of the spines may drag on the ground. Hedgehogs are also excellent swimmers and climbers.

Can be confused with:
Large rat and ferret prints. A hedgehog will have two different types of prints; hindfeet and forefeet. Rat prints have rather similar hind and forefeet but only four toes. Ferrets also only have four toes and fur can show in the prints, whereas hedgehogs have 'bare' feet. Hedgehog toe pads are proportionally larger and closer to the central cushion pad compared to rat or ferret prints. Hedgehog forefeet prints are rounder looking than rat or ferret prints.

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Cats have large, soft pads on the front and hind feet. These cushion each step and make their movements quieter. The central pad of a cat's foot is 'heart-shaped' and has three parts. The four separate toe pads will show in foot prints. The two front toes in a cat track are not aligned right next to each other. The inner toe is also set further forward than the outer toe. The footprints are usually wider than they are long. Sometimes, prints on tracking paper will show fuzzy marks from ink on fur.

The claws are retractable to reduce scratching noises and won't often show in prints. When walking, the feet are placed either side of the mid-line but the spacing between feet is wider when walking faster. A cat walks in a way that sometimes leaves a hind track on top of a front print. This is a way of moving silently through the landscape. When a front foot is placed down and doesn't snap a twig or otherwise make noise, the cat can move the hind foot to that same spot and know that it will be taking a quiet step. When stalking, the prints will be heel to toe. Cats will claw tree trunks leaving thin parallel scratches.

Can be confused with:
Dog also have paws with heart-shaped central pads but the shape of the whole foot is longer and narrower than that of a cat. A cat footprint is relatively rounded, and wider than it is long.

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Weasels have short legs with five toes on each foot. There is fur between the pads (fleshy bits on the underside of the toes) and the claws are sharp and can't be retracted (unlike cat claws). Weasel footprints or tracks are not readily seen in the wild except in snow or fine sand. However, they can be recorded with the use of tracking tunnels, which use an ink pad to create footprints across a removable card. Approximate print sizes are: forefoot 13 mm long and 10 mm wide, hindfoot 15 mm long and 13 mm wide. Weasels tend to run closer to the ground, whilst stoats have a distinctive looping, bouncing gait with an arched back. Weasel gait is smaller than of a stoat, with the gap of 250-300 mm between front and hind feet when running. Weasels are usually seen running, as they are very active.

Can be confused with:

Weasel footprints may be confused with those of stoats and rats. Stoat footprints may be bigger, but not reliably so. Rat footprints are more circular in shape (weasel footprints are oblong), and if you draw a line between toes 1 and 4 on the forefoot (counting clockwise) it will bisect the central footpad for rats, but will be in front of the central footpad for weasels.

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Stoats have short legs with five toes on each foot. There is fur between the pads (fleshy bits of the toes) and the claws are sharp and can't be retracted (not like a cat). Footprints or tracks are not readily seen in the wild except in snow or fine sand. However, they can be recorded with the use of ink footprint 'Tracking Tunnels'. Approximate sizes are: front foot 22 mm long and 20 mm wide, hind foot 42 mm long and 25 mm wide. The feet are furry and have fur between the toes. Hind feet tend to have more fur showing because of the way stoats hunch when they enter a tunnel. Stoats have a distinctive looping, bouncing gait with an arched back, whereas weasels run close to the ground, often with their tail raised in open country. The gap between front and hind feet when running is 300-500 mm and the hindfeet come down on the footprints of the forefeet. Stoats are usually seen running as they are very active critters.

Can be confused with:

Weasels footprints look essentially be the same, just smaller. There will be considerable cross-over between small stoats and large weasels. If unsure, the track should be declared 'mustelid, either stoat or weasel'. Rat footprints are more circular in shape (stoat footprints are oblong), and if you draw a line between toes 1 and 4 on the front foot (counting clockwise) it will bisect the central footpad for rats, but will be in front of the central footpad for stoats.

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Ferrets have short legs with five toes on each foot. There is fur between the pads (fleshy bits on the underside of the feet) and the claws are sharp and can't be retracted (unlike a cat's claws). Footprints or tracks are not readily seen in the wild except in snow, fine sand or mud. However, they can be recorded in 'Tracking Tunnels' which use a bait to lure animals across an ink pad and a replaceable card. Being the largest species of mustelid in New Zealand, ferrets leave the largest tracks. Approximate sizes are: forefoot 35mm long and 35mm wide, hindfoot 50mm long and 35mm wide. Ferrets' looping, bouncing gait results in a gap of 300-500 mm between front and hind feet when running.

Can be confused with:
Ferret tracks can be confused with stoat tracks. Ferret tracks tend to be larger, but not reliably so. Occasionally there will be overlap in the size of footprints between species i.e. the footprints of very young ferrets will overlap those of large male stoats.

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Rainbow lorikeets have two toes pointing forward and two toes pointing backward. The middle two toes point forwards. However, tracks are unlikely to be seen because rainbow lorikeets do not often venture onto the ground.

Can be confused with:

Rainbow lorikeet footprints might be confused with the footprints of other small native and introduced parrots, which also have two toes pointing forward and two toes pointing backward. Parrot tracks seen on the ground are more likely to have been made by introduced eastern rosellas than rainbow lorikeets as rosellas can spend a lot of time feeding on the ground.

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Australian magpies have black feet. The feet are typical of passerine bird species: one hind toe and three forward-facing toes. All toes have claws. Adult foot size is estimated in the range of 61 to 74 mm long, although there is little information available on this. If you can help with this clue, we would be pleased to hear from you > contact.

They walk, rather than hop, when on the ground.

Can be confused with:

Footprints of many bird species, especially the passerine (perching) bird species.

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Rooks feet are typical of perching birds, with one long toe pointing backwards and three toes pointing forwards. The toes all have sharp claws. Adult foot size is estimated in the range of 95 to 100 mm long, although there is little information available on this. If you can help with this clue, we would be pleased to hear from you > contact.

You are most likely to find footprints where rooks have been searching for seeds or grubs on pastures with damp bare soil.

Can be confused with:

Rook footprints can be confused with the footprints of other perching bird species of similar size. Magpies are the most similar in size and most likely to forage in similar places.

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Canada geese have large, black webbed feet. Adult feet are about 100 mm long and 75 mm wide. The footprints will show three toes with webbing between the toes and nails at the end of each toe.

Can be confused with:

The footprints of other waterfowl with webbed feet, particularly large species such as mute swans, black swans and other geese such as greylag goose and Cape Barren goose. Duck footprints are also webbed but are smaller.

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Plague skinks may be identified via the segments on their toes, which are called 'lamellae': - between 11-13 lamellae on the 4 th toes of the front feet and between 21-23 on the 4 th toes of the rear feet.

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Stuff happening with schools in other areas.

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Stuff happening with schools in other areas.

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From Northland to Southland, in big and small towns and cities, schools across Aotearoa are putting up their hands to be kaitiaki of their playgrounds and local environments. Meet the 20 latest Predator Free Schools and find out how they intend to protect our native wildlife. We now have 51 ...

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Wairarapatanga

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This graphic novel tells the story of Ngārara Huarau, a taniwha, that travels from Hawke's Bay to Wairarapa in search of his sister, Pari-kawhiti. As he journeys, his movement shapes the landscape, and his hunger leads him to eat birds, seals, seafood and people, causing terror as he travels south.

Finally, the Wairarapa people of Ngāti Tara ask Tūpurupuru and his warriors to kill Ngārara Huarau. Tūpurupuru constructs a trap and the warriors set upon Ngārara Huarau with weapons, and he sinks into the Uwhiroa swamp. But did he die?

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Te Marautanga o Ngāti Kahungunu ki Wairarapa - Ngati Kahungunu Ki Wairarapa Mātauranga

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This graphic novel tells the story of Ngārara Huarau, a taniwha, that travels from Hawke's Bay to Wairarapa in search of his sister, Pari-kawhiti. As he journeys, his movement shapes the landscape, and his hunger leads him to eat birds, seals, seafood and people, causing terror as he travels south.

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Programmes for schools

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DOC resource - also has body parts of wētā.

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This link takes you to the Learning programmes.

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We run learning sessions for LEOTC and tertiary students.

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Learning unit leading to action around making wēt motels.

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In this unit students will find out how the wētā evolved, why it's threatened and how we are protecting this ancient insect. Students will see why the wētā is unique, assess recovery plans and find out how to improve living conditions for wētā in their own backyard.

It links to websites, videos and learning tools which provide practical activities to develop your students' knowledge and skill.

About the resource

Learning levels

Topics

Native animals

Forests and green spaces

Curriculum learning areas

Science (Living world)

Education for Sustainablility

Achievement objectives

Students will explain how living things are suited to their particular habitat and how they respond to environmental changes both natural and human induced.

Students will appreciate that some living things in New Zealand are quite different from living things in other areas of the world.

Learning outcomes

Students will sort factors on a T chart that show why weta have survived for so long and factors which are leading to their demise.

Students will research and publish concise information in a bio-box that shows why the giant weta is so unique.

Students will discuss and consider alternatives for successful recovery plans.

Students will devise and publish a recovery plan for the giant weta that has good chance of success.

View the resource

DOC and TVNZ collaborated to create this resource "NZ Biology: The big friendly giants - the giant wētā" which was written by DOC ranger Mike Tapp.
Contents of resource:
1. What's an insect?

Here's a quick activity to check your students' prior knowledge about insects:

Download the What's an insect? worksheet (PDF, 127K) from the TVNZ website.

2. In days gone by

Students consider why New Zealand has creatures living here that are different to anywhere else in the world. They look at factors that helped the giant wētā survive and factors that are now leading to its demise.

Download the In days gone by worksheet (PDF, 58K) from the TVNZ website.

The worksheet uses the information below and can be done in pairs or groups.

Giant wētā are one of our most ancient types of land animals.

Their design is virtually the same as fossil weta found in Queensland and they date back 190 million years - long before Australia and New Zealand parted company during the split-up of Gondwana.

Weta have flourished and diversified during New Zealand's last 80 million years of isolation and more than 70 endemic species have evolved.

Some reached a gigantic size and without mammals the giants came to occupy the same sort of night-living niche that rodents occupied in other countries.

When rats and mice started living here most giant wētā species couldn't compete. Their food was eaten and they became food for rodents. Numbers plummeted.

Weta grow and breed slowly. Wētāpunga, the biggest of the giant wētā, take around 18 months to reach maturity and they only breed towards the end of their two years of life.

3. Life's essentials

Bio boxes can quickly profile almost any person, place or animal. They're tightly written giving background information at a glance. They answer essential questions like:

A picture adds value.

Get your students to design a bio box for the giant wētā and find out a few essential facts at the same time.

Useful links are:
Kiwi Conservation Club
NZ Ecology Gigantism in Insects

Useful life cycle information for the bio box is:

The eggs are oval-shaped and 7 mm long and 2.5 mm wide. They're laid 50 mm deep in the soil.

The nymphs start off as mini - wētā about 5 mm long.

They moult (grow out of their skin) ten times before beginning adult life.

Adults are about 70-80 mm long but females grow bigger than males.

4. Good place for a giant

Hardly any giant wētā remain on the mainland because they've fallen prey to cats, rats, stoats, ferrets and weasels. They only survive in places where they can be protected from these predators.

Protection and recovery programmes can prove tricky too. Share this story with your students and discuss in class whether they would have approached the problem in a different way.
The wētāpunga, the biggest of the giant wētā has to share Little Barrier Island with the kiore, the Polynesian rat. In the past it was thought that kiore were reluctant to climb the trees that wētāpunga lived in so they didn't have huge impact this giant wētā's population. DOC rangers eliminated the feral cat population on the island which was great for the birds and lizards, but surprisingly, not so good for wētāpunga. Kiore were the cats' main prey and now the rat population has grown! That's bad news for wētāpunga. Its numbers are dwindling.
Watch the Meet the Locals episode Mahoenui wētā.

Get the class to focus on looking for these things and discuss them after viewing:

What saves these giant wētā from predators?

What's the biggest danger for these wētā?

Have these wētā evolved any defence systems against rats that really work

What feature does the female have that helps the female lay her eggs at a safe depth?

What else is being done to protect these giants of the insect world?

5. Saving a species

By studying endangered species of wētā and gathering information on their ways of life, we can establish new populations of giant wētā in safe places.

The Mahoenui giant wētā is an iconic New Zealand species, so the recovery programme wants to significantly improve their management and recovery.

Scientists work out why weta populations are declining, they establish original habitat characteristics and improve the effectiveness of reintroduction and restoration techniques.

In this activity the students devise a recovery plan of their own for the protection of wētā on a mainland site. Download A guide for your recovery plan worksheet (PDF, 63K) from the TVNZ website.

This recovery guide will help them formulate a plan and gives them handy hints that may see them think of ideas like the examples below.

Scientists are using miniature tracking equipment, such as tags, tiny transmitters, and lights fastened to the insects' thorax, to help track wētā in their haunts.

They collect eggs, hatch them, and raise young wētā in captivity, preparing them for release back into the wild.

6. Active involvement: motels for weta (an optional extra)

Tree wētā like living in holes in trees but there really aren't that many holes. That's why they dig under stones or chew through rotten logs to make their homes. Wētā motels help bring wētā to your backyard. They're placed in trees, under trees and even on fence posts.

Find out how to build a 3 star or 5 star wētā motel. A one star motel works well too - just hang some pieces of bamboo in a tree!

Wētā prefer motels without windows but some people like to peer at them to see what they're up to.

Make your windows from perspex or plastic from a bottle. You need to be able to remove them for cleaning because they go mouldy and they need shutters.

Wētā will live in motels with windows as long as their gallery is deep.

Wētā adapt well to living in a modified habitat. The females lay 100-300 eggs so if you build a home they like, then wētā will live there and numbers will grow!

Additional worksheet
Wētāpunga worksheet (PDF, 1,951K)

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The big friendly giants - the giant wētā

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Find out how the wētā evolved, why it's threatened and how we are protecting this ancient insect. Students will see why the wētā is unique, assess recovery plans and find out how to improve living conditions for wētā in their own backyard.

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Discover a REAL KIWI nature experience within easy reach of Wellington on the picturesque Kāpiti Coast.

Ngā Manu Nature Reserve offers you, your family and visitors a unique opportunity to have a hands-on experience with nature and combines education with a great day out. See New Zealand's rare brown kiwi in our Nocturnal House and meet native birds in our walk-through aviaries. Watch or participate in feeding endangered long-fin eels, spot native geckos and get up close to the ancient tuatara. Take an easy stroll through one of Kāpiti's largest remnants of coastal lowland swamp forest in this idyllic bird sanctuary.

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Discover a REAL KIWI nature experience within easy reach of Wellington on the picturesque Kāpiti Coast. Ngā Manu Nature Reserve offers you, your family and visitors a unique opportunity to have a hands-on experience with nature and combines education with a great day out.

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Available from the Predator Free website - $30-35 plus shipping.

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Buy a backyard rat trap and tunnel and get it delivered to your door

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Buy a backyard rat trap that comes complete with a custom made wooden tunnel box to keep the trap safe from curious pets and children. Buy now...

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New Zealand has more than 70 species of wētā, from small ground wētā to wētā that can be heavier than a mouse! Wētā have been around since the time of the dinosaurs and only exist in New Zealand.

Many wētā species are now endangered, so it's very important we look after them.

A wētā motel will help protect them from being eaten by introduced predators like rats, stoats, cats and hedgehogs. Female wētā lay 100-300 eggs so if you build a home they like, their numbers will grow.

Download this activtiy
Build a wētā motel (PDF, 464K)
What you need

Small log

Material for motel roof (plastic or iron)

Saw, chisel and drill

String or wire to hang up your motel
Nails and hammer

An adult to give you a hand

What to do

1. Explore your backyard

Explore your garden and see if you have some wētā already. Find out what kind of wētā you have, or what kind of wētā like to live in your area.

Think about what would make a great wētā home - this will help you work out where to put your wētā motel.

Saw a small log in half

Chisel out the wētā gallery

Drill a hole for the entrance tunnel

A completed 3 star wētā motel

2. Build the wētā motel

3 star wētā motel

A 3 star wētā motel is simple and fun to make.

Start with a small log and saw it in half.

Chisel out some rooms, and drill an entrance tunnel.

Nail or bind the two halves together and nail on a roof.

Hang or tie the motel in a tree in a shady spot at about eye level.

5 star wētā motel

Use the 5 star wētā motel design (PDF, 232K) to create a 10 unit 'motel' in your garden for wētā. It's great but takes longer to make than the 3 star model.

It was designed by Victoria University of Wellington entomologist Professor George Gibbs, who has given permission for the Department of Conservation to distribute it.

3. Be patient

In the forest wētā move in within three months. After a year they have about four wētā in each motel.

Handy hints for making wētā motels

Use willow and aged pine (rather than fresh pine), but make sure it's not rotting.

Make entrance tunnel holes 18 mm or slightly smaller to stop mice (10 mm is too small).

Make entrance tunnels quite long. and sloping down from the top or the side (not from underneath),

Make windows from perspex or plastic from a bottle with shutters that can be closed. Make them removable for cleaning.

Wētā prefer motels without windows, but will live in motels with windows as long as their gallery is deep.

You'll probably get more wētā if you have more single room motels.

Claim your Kiwi Guardians Habitat Creator medal

Kiwi Guardians medal for building a wētā motel

Tell us if there are any wētā in your backyard and about the wētā motel you've built, and we'll send you Kiwi Guardians Habitat Creator medal.

What did your motel look like?

How did you build it?

Has anything moved in yet?

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New Zealand has more than 70 species of wētā, from small ground wētā to wētā that can be heavier than a mouse! Wētā have been around since the time of the dinosaurs and only exist in New Zealand. Many wētā species are now endangered, so it's very important we look after them.

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Discovery Garden for children - food - fibre - construction - medicine

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Research about Wētā as good indicator species.

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Research about Wētā as good indicator species.

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Inspiring video to get our community involved.

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Inspiring video to get our community involved.

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Keen to get involved in backyard trapping

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Cloak of Protection -a fun strategic game about New Zealand Birds and the predators who are creating problems for them. Y3-Adult. Full notes about all of the predators and the birds.

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Playing our way

Kia Ora. Here we are, on islands like no others. Tips of the (mostly) submerged continent of Zealandia, in the landscape of Aotearoa / New Zealand.

From here, come my environmental games. Where we're sometimes co-operating, sometimes competing, yet always in good heart.

I hope you'll enjoy being gameful in our rich natural world too. Being kakariki / green, and playing our way!

Ngā mihi. JiL Hemming. Game Designer

AVAILABLE at all LEVELS. FOR AS LONG AS THE COURIER WILL DELIVER

To save our birds, you need to trade, draw & play to create a feather cloak of 15 cards, in one bird realm: forest, settlement, sea, or extinct.

But BEWARE! Each card sports some predators - will they threaten your realm?

ALL MADE IN AOTEAROA/NZ (game, illustration, design, print)
FREE POST in NZ

Best Sellers

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Kia Ora. Here we are, on islands like no others. Tips of the (mostly) submerged continent of Zealandia, in the landscape of Aotearoa / New Zealand. From here, come my environmental games. Where we're sometimes co-operating, sometimes competing, yet always in good heart. I hope you'll enjoy being gameful in our rich natural world too.

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Science Learning Hub intro and links to all of their resources on this topic.

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The New Zealand Government has a vision of becoming predator-free by 2050. The Department of Conservation (DOC) and other organisations are working together to realise this vision for New Zealand.

Achieving the goal of a Predator-Free New Zealand by 2050 will require a massive team effort across the public, private, iwi and community sectors.
Maggie Barry, Conservation Minister, 25 July 2016

Becoming predator-free will have many benefits for New Zealand. The obvious benefit is the protection of our native and endemic species, as well as benefits to tourism and primary industries sectors. The strengthening of social and cultural links to the environment right across New Zealand will also be a significant outcome, and it will provide a legacy for future generations.

How will it be achieved?

Eradicating pests such as possums, rats and stoats will require a national co-ordinated approach. There are already many community groups, iwi and public and private sector groups working on pest eradication projects. A team effort to maximise the outcomes for all groups across new Zealand is required if New Zealand is to reach the goal by 2050.

New Zealand is already a world leader in conservation research and technology and has numerous large-scale projects across multiple stakeholders throughout New Zealand.

The government is committed to forming a new public-private partnership company, Predator Free 2050 Limited, that will help fund large-scale predator eradication programmes on a regional level. Working together is the key to reaching such an ambitious goal.

Technology

One of the keys to achieving a predator-free New Zealand by 2050 will be the discovery of new technological advances in predator control and monitoring techniques. New Zealand is leading the world in research and development in this area. One example is the Goodnature trapping system, which uses automatic gas-powered traps that humanely kill targeted pest species. They automatically reset for multiple kills without monitoring. The Goodnature traps use pheromone baits to attract specific species.

The Goodnature company shares the vision of a predator-free New Zealand and is constantly working to develop and refine products that make it easy for everyone to create sanctuaries in their backyards.

How can you get involved?

Predators are found in both urban and rural areas. In urban areas, individuals can make a difference by monitoring and trapping predator species on their own property. Schools can also make an impact by working with local councils to control predators in the school grounds and encourage the wider community to get involved.

New Zealanders have rightly taken great pride in our conservation efforts to date. If we harness the strength of everyone who is keen to be involved in this project, I believe we will achieve the vision of a Predator-Free New Zealand by 2050 and make our landscape a safe haven again for our native taonga species.
Conservation Minister Maggie Barry

ZEALANDIA is an example of a fully predator-proof fenced urban ecosanctuary. It has a 500-year vision to restore a Wellington valley's forest and freshwater ecosystems as close as possible to their pre-human state. ZEALANDIA is contributing towards the vision of Predator Free 2050. It has an extensive range of education programmes and resources. ZEALANDIA, with support from WWF New Zealand, has produced a comprehensive teaching resource supporting New Zealand schools to explore the pest-free vision with students.

Nature of science

Working collaboratively and sharing scientific knowledge and understanding is a productive way we can make scientific advances in technology.

Inspire your students to connect with their local natural environment, explore fauna and flora and discover through a process of inquiry ideas that support a pest-free vision.

This series of unit plans and resources focuses on students becoming actively involved in contributing to a pest-free New Zealand:

New Zealand's conservation efforts are seen as world leading in native restoration through citizen science, often extensively involving community participation and volunteers. Student participation through inquiry and action can have a positive impact on improving New Zealand's biodiversity, adding to our national efforts in conservation.

Acknowledgement

ZEALANDIA is the world's first fully fenced urban ecosanctuary. It has an extraordinary 500-year vision to restore a Wellington valley's forest and freshwater ecosystems as closely as possible to their pre-human state. For 50 years, WWF has been protecting the future of nature as the world's leading conservation organisation. WWF's unique way of working combines global reach with a foundation in science, involves action at every level from local to global and ensures the delivery of innovative solutions that meet the needs of both people and nature.

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The New Zealand Government has a vision of becoming predator-free by 2050. The Department of Conservation (DOC) and other organisations are working together to realise this vision for New Zealand. Achieving the goal of a Predator-Free New Zealand by 2050 will require a massive team effort across the public, private, iwi and community sectors.

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Pest Control Research sells a range of leg-hold traps, kill traps and live-capture traps that are manufactured here in New Zealand and overseas. The traps have been tested in New Zealand conditions and have been shown to be very effective at capturing and killing New Zealand animal pest species such as possums, stoats and rats.

All the traps sold on this site have been tested in New Zealand conditions on New Zealand animal pests. Some of the traps we sell have passed NAWAC humaness standards which are based on accepted international standards. For more information on the humaness testing of traps and poisons click on the following link.
http://www.biosecurity.govt.nz/files/publications/technical-papers/2011-01-how-humane-are-our-pest-control-tools-final.pdf

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Pest Control Research sells a range of leg-hold traps, kill traps and live-capture traps that are manufactured here in New Zealand and overseas. The traps have been tested in New Zealand conditions and have been shown to be very effective at capturing and killing New Zealand animal pest species such as possums, stoats and rats.

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Schools toolkit including processes - everything you need to know about predators - taonga species etc. 

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Schools toolkit including processes - everything you need to know about predators - taonga species etc. 

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Apply to become a predator free school.

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There are many ways to get young people involved in restoring our native species. Either individually, or through their local schools.

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https://drive.google.com/file/d/18sK1bel6nS_sfShPrmkI8xubatT8B3gb/view?usp=sharing

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Tracking and Trapping Teacher Expectations

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Tracking and Trapping Teacher Expectations

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Teacher  Student Expectations - RRT Kit .pdf

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Tracking and Trapping Kit Lending Agreement

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Tracking and Trapping Kit Lending Agreement