What primary environmental factor allowed wētā to evolve to such sizes in New Zealand?
Answer
The absence of mammalian predators.
The text states that the evolution of such significant gigantism occurred without the pressure of mammalian predation that kept insect sizes in check elsewhere, due to their isolation on the landmass of Aotearoa.
Related Questions
What is the benchmark weight frequently cited for the world’s heaviest insect, the giant wētā?Which specific species holds the Guinness World Record for the heaviest insect ever documented?Why are the record-holding giant wētā specimens almost invariably females?On which specific island sanctuary was the record-holding specimen of the Little Barrier Island giant wētā found?Based on established metrics, which characteristic is used to solidify the wētā's claim as the 'biggest bug'?What primary environmental factor allowed wētā to evolve to such sizes in New Zealand?To what common small animal is the 71-gram weight of the heaviest recorded wētā comparable?What is the typical nocturnal activity of the Wētāpunga?What two primary factors have led to the Wētāpunga being classified as endangered?Which two insect groups are the giant wētā evolutionarily related to?