desert bugs - Top That! Publishing

GIVE IT UP FOR GRASSHOPPERS
Grasshoppers belong to the insect family called Orthoptera. The word
‘Orthoptera’ comes from the Greek words ‘orthos’ meaning ‘straight’ and
‘ptera’ meaning ‘wing’. As well as grasshoppers, this family of 20,000
different species includes locusts, crickets, ground hoppers and katydids.
How high can a grasshopper jump What do they eat
Although grasshoppers, and most other members of the
Orthoptera family, have tough, leathery wings, they
rarely fly. Instead, they use their powerful hind legs to
hop away from danger (hence the name ‘grasshopper’).
These insects are natural long jumpers. It’s thought that
an average grasshopper can jump at least twenty times
its own body length. That’s the human equivalent of
about 37 m!
A grasshopper uses its
powerful hind legs to
leap from danger.
FACT FILE
Since Biblical times, locusts and grasshoppers
have provided tasty snacks for humans. John
the Baptist was said to have lived on locusts
and honey, and today these insects, which
contain fifty per cent protein, still feature as a
standard ingredient in Middle Eastern and
Chinese cuisine. Simply remove the wings, the
small legs and the head, season and serve!
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Grasshoppers and locusts are completely vegetarian,
chomping on grasses and other plants with their
specially adapted chewing mouthparts. Crickets and
katydids, on the other hand, are omnivores and so
tend to eat anything from plants, fruit and fungi to
meat and even each other! There is one type of cricket
with extremely powerful jaws known as a wart-biter,
and, guess what – it was once used to bite warts off
human skin.
The wart-biter cricket
was once used to bite
warts off skin.