The easiest to spot without in-depth knowledge is that crickets have a longer antenna than grasshoppers. Another difference between crickets and grasshoppers is how they make noise. In general, crickets form their percussion by rubbing their back legs against their wings, whereas crickets make it by rubbing their wings together. However, nature never likes things too neat, so some grasshopper species do make music with their wings.
The most common process that grasshoppers use to create their song is very much like a scraper instrument, where you run a stick across a piece of wood cut through with several ridges. In order to produce their song, they rub these along the veins on their wings. The wings help to amplify the sound. Additionally, the different arrangements of notches on various species produce different sounds.
This type of way of making sound is called stridulation. The second type of sound production, that a small number of grasshoppers practice, is crepitation.
This is where the wings are pulled taut and effectively snapped. While crickets tend to create sounds with their wings while on the ground, those grasshoppers that practice crepitation do it during flight. The banded grasshoppers are an example of this.
Most of these grasshoppers can also stridulate. As well as the sounds they make with their legs and wings; grasshoppers can also chirrup using their mouths. These sounds tend to be a distress signal aimed at scaring away predators. Also read: What Do Grasshoppers Drink? Liquid of Choice. These grasshoppers use their hind legs to produce rhythmic sounds that attract members of the opposite sex, but both males and females produce chirping sounds for different reasons.
When a male grasshopper seeks a mate, it will perch itself on a piece of grass in order to broadcast its mating call to the insect community.
Researchers have found that these males will produce songs that make use of five to twelve different musical notes. Their songs become more complicated as males compete with one another to produce the most impressive songs. Females will indicate which males they prefer by mimicking their songs. The jumping and chirping behaviors that grasshoppers are well known for is only possible due to their powerful hind legs. They are found in greater numbers in warm, tropical climates, during summer months.
Only a few species are found in colder areas. Both grasshoppers and crickets can be found in forests, meadows and grasslands. Insects in this order typically have a three-stage life cycle consisting of egg, nymph and adult. When hatched, nymphs are smaller versions of adults, minus wings and reproductive organs. The adult lifespan of insects in this order varies but averages from one to two months.
Grasshoppers are more commonly compared to locusts than to crickets. They are herbivores, meaning they feed on only plants, and are found in prairies and grasslands. They are larger than crickets, reaching up to 4 inches in length.
Their bright green color helps them blend into their surroundings. Most grasshoppers have functioning wings and can both fly and jump.
Crickets are scavenging omnivores that eat plants as well as smaller insects and larvae. Some cricket species have front legs that are adapted for digging while others live in caves. Smaller than grasshoppers, crickets are rarely more than 2 inches in length. They are nocturnal, which means they are active at dusk and during the night, and are usually colored brown or pale green.
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