Grasshopper is an insect with short antennae (feelers) and tremendous leaping ability. A grasshopper can leap about 20 times as far as the length of its body. If a human being had that same leaping ability, he or she could jump about 120 feet (37 meters).
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Grasshoppers live in most parts of the world, except near the North and South poles. Grasshoppers feed primarily on plants. Many live in fields and meadows where there are plenty of leaves to eat. Some eat only certain kinds of plants. Others eat any plants they can find. They may destroy whole crops of alfalfa, cotton, and corn and other grains. Most grasshoppers will also eat such animals as other insects.
Many animals prey on grasshoppers, including beetles, birds, lizards, mice, snakes, and spiders. Several types of spiders and wasps capture and paralyze grasshoppers and use them to feed their young. Certain kinds of flies lay eggs in or near grasshopper eggs. After the fly eggs hatch, the newborn flies eat the grasshopper eggs. Other flies lay their eggs on a grasshopper’s body. The newborn flies then eat the grasshopper.
Grasshoppers can sometimes escape from their enemies by jumping up and flying away, by biting the enemy with their strong jaws, or by hiding. Their coloring often resembles their surroundings so closely that the grasshopper cannot be seen unless it moves. Grasshoppers that live among green leaves are green, those that live near the ground are brownish, and those that live near the beach are sand-colored. When grasshoppers are handled, they “spit” a brown liquid that many people call “tobacco juice.” This liquid may help protect grasshoppers from attacks by other insects.
The body
of a grasshopper has three main sections: (1) the head, (2) the thorax, and (3) the abdomen. A stiff shell called an exoskeleton covers the body.
The head.
Two antennae grow forward and curve upward from the head. They function as the grasshopper’s nose. Two lips and jaws that move from side to side form the main parts of the mouth. Thin, fingerlike parts called palpi grow on both sides of the mouth and on the lower lip. They contain the insect’s “taste buds.”
A grasshopper has five eyes. A large compound eye, consisting of thousands of single lenses, lies on each side of the head. With these eyes, the insect can see to the front, to the side, and to the back. A grasshopper also has three small single eyes—one above the base of each antenna, and one below and midway between the two antennae. Scientists do not know what these small eyes do.
The thorax.
A grasshopper’s wings and legs are attached to its thorax. Grasshoppers have six legs, and most have two pairs of wings. Some species have short, useless wings, and others have no wings at all.
A grasshopper’s front wings are narrow and tough. They cover and protect the large, thin hind wings, which are the main wings used for flying, in species that fly. When the insect rests, its hind wings fold up like fans under its front wings. When a grasshopper flies, the downstroke of the wings gives the insect “lift” and moves it forward. The upstroke helps keep the insect moving until the wings reach the downstroke position.
A grasshopper uses all six legs when it walks. The front legs hold food when the animal eats. Powerful muscles in the hind legs supply the force that pushes the insect forward in a leap, or shoots it into the air to fly.
The abdomen
of a grasshopper expands and contracts to pump air in and out of 10 pairs of breathing holes. These holes, called spiracles, are along the sides of the abdomen and the thorax. Tubes branch out from the spiracles and carry air to all parts of the body.
Most of a grasshopper’s digestive tract is within the abdomen. In addition, female grasshoppers have a strong, sharp part called an ovipositor, or egg placer, at the rear of the abdomen. Eggs pass out of the female’s body through the ovipositor.
Reproduction.
Female grasshoppers lay as few as 2 or as many as 120 eggs at a time. The eggs, held together by a sticky substance made by the female’s body, are packed into holes dug by her ovipositor. She sprays more of the sticky material over the eggs, and it hardens into a waterproof covering. The mass of eggs is called a pod.
Most kinds of grasshoppers begin to lay their eggs in late summer and continue into autumn. The eggs hatch the following spring. Newborn grasshoppers look like adults except they have no wings. It takes 40 to 60 days for a young grasshopper to become an adult. During this time, the insect must shed its exoskeleton in order to grow. This process is called molting. The young grasshopper molts five or six times, growing a new exoskeleton each time. Wings are present after the last molt, when the insect reaches adulthood.
In the right conditions, some species of grasshoppers greatly increase in number, forming large swarms of what are called locusts. These swarms migrate, damaging crops and other plants as they move through areas. Many people catch and eat the swarming locusts, especially in the Middle East and parts of Africa. They remove the wings and legs before eating the insects.
Male grasshoppers “sing” to their mates. Most species make sounds by rubbing their hind legs against their front wings. Grasshoppers have hearing organs on their abdomen just above the base of their hind legs.
