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Story: Ngārara – reptiles

Wētā punga (giant wētā)

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Wētā punga (giant wētā)

This is the wēta punga (Cook Strait giant wētā). All wētā were considered repulsive, and the wētā punga especially so – it was named after the ‘ugly god’ Punga.

Using this item

Natural Sciences Image Library of New Zealand

Reference: In0451Mrt.Tif

by John Marris

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How to cite this page

Bradford Haami, Ngārara – reptiles – Punga and his descendants, Te Ara – the Encyclopedia of New Zealand, https://teara.govt.nz/en/photograph/12941/weta-punga-giant-weta (accessed 4 June 2026).

Story by Bradford Haami, published 1 March 2009.