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Mountain Stone Weta | Daily Animal Facts

Animal profile

Mountain Stone Weta

Hemideina maori

InsectaRock tors and scree above the treeline in the mountains of New Zealand's South Island

Field profile

The mountain stone weta is a robust alpine insect that shelters under slabs of rock on exposed tors. Groups of several individuals often share a single cavity. It lives at altitudes where winter temperatures fall well below freezing.

Scope note

This is an editorial profile, not a diagnostic field-identification guide or a substitute for current conservation assessments. Follow the cited sources on each fact for the evidence trail.

Published field notes

2024-01-13

Mountain Stone Weta

The mountain stone weta survives being frozen

Rather than avoiding ice, this alpine insect tolerates it. Ice forms in the spaces between its cells during winter and the animal is stiff and immobile, then thaws and resumes activity, a strategy that can repeat many times in a season.

Read with evidence →