The New Zealand weta is part of a small branch of the insect world that consists of the some of the largest and heaviest insects of the face of the earth. They are an extraordinarily diverse group, inhabiting terrains ranging from caves to forests. Some are herbivores, others are omnivores, and some are scavengers capable of stalking and killing beetles and insects (although rumor says that have eaten small mammals as well). One captive weta was weighed at 70 grams (heavier than a sparrow) and the maximum recorded length was a whopping 200 millimeters, almost the length of a table tennis racket!
The really interesting species is the cave weta. The cave weta is differentiated from its cousins by its habitat, of course, it lives in caves. However, it's lifespan is also considerably longer, with some instances of weta living for three or four years (no small amount in the insect world). The antennae is also longer, extending for a distance of almost four times the cave weta's body. But the truly bizarre thing is when winter rolls around the high mountain caves where this creature makes its home. When the temperature drops below zero, and the ice begins to form on the roofs of the caves, the cave weta has nowhere to shelter. So it lies still, closes its eyes (if it had eyelids) and freezes solid for three whole months!
The cave weta's blood contains a chemical that allows it to survive when its frozen solid - no digestion, no respiration, just solid ice for three months. When the spring thaw comes around, this incredible insect just dries out and goes looking for food. Speaking from the viewpoint of evolution, the cave weta is absolutely impossible. This insect (and mind you, very few other insects have this chemical in their blood) happened to live in one of the coldest and barest climates in New Zealand and just happened to have the right chemical in it's blood to enable it to survive the winter chill. Of course, the first, un-evolved, weta ancestor that moved into the caves would die out entirely in a year if it didn't have this chemical in its body. The only alternative to special creation would be pure blind luck - an insect that lives in one of the coldest climates on the planet luckily manages to form a chemical that would enable it to survive the winter that it didn't know was coming! Clearly this is impossible, and is frankly insulting to the intellect. I leave the reader to consider his own alternative theories.
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