With giant crickets, the males get bigger and bigger

The weta crickets are indeed huge. Weighing up to 20 grams, they are one of the heaviest insects in the world. But the male is only half that size. Now scientists understand why.

A mature female weta cricket in the hands of the researcher.Photo: LiveScience.

Lighter male crickets and longer legs are the most successful in conquering their partners. The reason is, they can fly farther to find children.

The most successful males can walk the length of a football field in just one night in their homeland of New Zealand, researchers find it by attaching radio monitors to them. . That is equivalent to walking more than 7 km of people.

Smaller crickets, longer legs walk farther, meet more sex partners and move more sperm into females.

"Our findings are a rare example of sex selection based on appropriate traits to promote animal sexuality," said Clint Kelly from the University of Toronto.

The finding may also help explain why in some species, males are smaller than females, the team concluded.