Cave wētā, also known as jumping wētā, belong to the family Rhaphidophoridae and the order Orthoptera.
Cave wētā are nocturnal and live in tunnels, hollow tree trunks and under stones in the daytime. At night they leave their daytime shelter to feed. Due to their smaller mouths they tend to eat plants (not leaves), fungi and dead insects. Different to other wētā, cave wētā have extra-long antennae and long slender legs for jumping. They can even leap up to 3 meters! Despite lacking hearing organs (tympana), this does not put them at a disadvantage to other wētā, instead cave wētā are very sensitive to ground vibrations detected through pads on their feet.