[11] D. connectens has been observed in the wild browsing lichens, herbs and shrubs such as Aciphylla and Gaultheria depressa.

[11][12] In captivity D. connectens ate a range of “vegetables" (lettuce, carrot, clover, and dandelion leaves), fruit (apples, apricots), and raw beef, cheese and insects (cicadas, tenebrionid beetles).

[11] Deinacrida connectens is New Zealand's largest nocturnal alpine insect, but occurs at lower abundance than smaller grasshopper and cockroach species in the same environment.

[12] In an experiment, D. connectens' ability to disperse seeds of Gaultheria depressa by feeding was found to be dependent on the size of the wētā.

[17] However, males of Deinacrida connectens appear to invest little energy into reproductive behaviours, and provide small spermatophores.

[11] During mating in experimental conditions, males remain beneath the female, with the pair facing the same direction and with their bodies creating an angle of 30°.

[11] There is a single observation in experimental conditions of a male scree wētā attempting to separate a mating pair.

[11] When disturbed, D connectens will either remain motionless or attempt to run away and if they need to defend themselves, they will raise their legs in a threatening posture and produce soft sounds.

[3] After feeding, D. connectens will engage in “perching” behaviour, where it stands at the peak of a rock for extended periods of time during the night.

[11] This boundary was maintained by producing sound and using their hind legs to push and kick away other individuals that got too close.

[11] In laboratory conditions (at temperatures higher than they normally experience), large D. connectens have been known to travel nearly 6 metres per minute.

[18][19] In a phylogeography study of D. connectens, research found seven genetic lineages from mtDNA haplotypes, where each occupied a discrete geographic region.

[7] This phylogeographical structure combined with lineage age estimations suggests D. connectens radiated during the Pliocene mountain building that created the Southern Alps 5 million years ago.