8
Boing! Boing! These leggy leapers move across fields and
forests in giant jumps. But they’re hard to spot when they’re
sitting still.
One thing’s for sure—grasshoppers and crickets really know
how to blend in. If a hungry hunter gets too close, a nasty-
smelling fluid oozes out of the insects’ bodies. One sniff of the
stinking stench sends most predators running.
Grasshoppers and crickets have three life stages—egg,
nymph
, and adult. The youngsters look just like their
parents—only smaller.
Believe it or not, some grasshopper nymphs eat twice their
body weight every single day! No wonder they spend so much
time munching and crunching on leaves and stems.
Grasshoppers
and Crickets
18
