Revenge of the Weta!
New Zealand Giant Weta
Confession time again… I’m not fond of Wetas either.
When I was five, a lone Weta terrorized my primary school. I, being the bravest of them all, climbed up the tree where it was scaring us witless with its pure horror and crushed it with a rock. I faced my fears, saved the day, and then faced Weta pulp. Problem was I felt ashamed for what I’d done and my fear for Wetas only grew.
Last night a discovered a Weta on my back doorstep (perhaps a descendant of the one I murdered seeking vengeance?). As I am ‘not of those who shrink back’ I picked it up, got Paisleyjade to get photo proof and have now begun a new journey… overcoming my fear of Wetas.
1. Make a Weta Motel
2. Pray hard that I don’t get bitten by Wetas
3. Handle Wetas
4.
5. Overcome fear of Wetas
Dad, will you join me?
Bat-eaters from the abyss
The Amazonian Giant Centipede (Scolopendra gigantea), is the largest existing species of centipede in the world. It grows to over 35 cm in length and has the strength of a small snake. Here’s the freaky part… it catches bats in mid-flight and eats them.
Yes indeed, and to prove that I didn’t read that in a tabloid, I’ve embeded video proof below.
On a lighter note, let’s talk about centipede venom. Centipedes bite using two gigantic hollow, venom-pumping fangs. Those unfortunate enough to have been bitten liken it to being burned by a lit cigar. One death has been reported where a seven year old girl was bit in the head… she died hours later. Click here to see a Discovery Channel clip of a centipede owning a tarantula. It has to be seen to be believed.
For those of us living in New Zealand who think we are free from these ‘centipedal monsters’, think again. The New Zealand giant centipede grows to 25 cms.
How big do centipedes grow? It is rumored that there is a rare species living in the Galapagos Islands that exceeds 60 cms. The now extinct Euphoberia centipede grew to over a metre in length. Imagine waking up to one of these monsters coiled around your neck, about to sink its fangs into your head! Who decided Euphoberia is extinct anyway? Doesn’t ‘extinct’ just mean that none have been seen recently?
Once again, sweet dreams…
Monster Wasps!
In a recent post of Paisley Jade’s she commented about her husband’s (that’s me) over-exuberance when using flyspray on wasps. Yes, I admit I have a slight dislike (understatement of the year) for wasps… Do you blame me? Being chased and stung by angry paper-wasps as a kid, and then having a stinging wasp trapped in my wetsuit!
I came across this photo yesterday, and although it looks like something out of a bad 70′s horror flick, it is very real… and very nasty.
