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Strange Types of Grasshoppers

Many strange and interesting types of grasshoppers exist in the natural world. The grasshopper belongs to the order of Orthoptera, which means "straight wings." Over 11,000 species are recognized globally, and many unexamined and undocumented species exist in rich ecosystems like the rain forest. Each species is characterized by a unique song and method of using wings, legs and bodies to produce sound. While many bizarre and fascinating species of grasshoppers exist, some of the strangest and most interesting include short and long-horned grasshoppers, and the subspecies that stem from them.

Short-Horned Grasshopper
- Short-horned grasshoppers include many different subspecies, such as band-winged, spur-throated, and slant-faced grasshoppers. Short-horned grasshoppers have strong wings and short antennas. The song they create is very loud, and is produced by rubbing wings or legs together like the bow of a violin against a string. Short-horned grasshoppers create sound even as they fly. They generally live in open areas, such as meadows. This species is also known as locusts.
Long-Horned Grasshopper
- This species of grasshopper is similar to the cricket in genetics, appearance, and behavior. Antennae are generally as long as or longer than the grasshopper's body. The long-horned grasshopper species incorporates the subspecies of cone-headed, shield backed, and meadow grasshoppers. Long-horned grasshoppers sing by rubbing their wings together, though they are not as loud as their short-horned counterparts.
Band-Winged Grasshopper
- The band-winged grasshopper is a subspecies of the short-horned species. Band-winged antennae barely reach half of the grasshopper's body. Band-winged grasshoppers always have colorful hind wings, and often feature a black band on their wings as well, though some members of this subspecies are marked solely by color. Band-winged grasshoppers are somewhat rare, and are rarely a pest to farmers.
Slant-faced Grasshopper
- The slant-faced hopper is another subspecies of short-horned insects. Despite its short antennae, it can be differentiated from the band-winged grasshopper by its colorless and band-free wings. A distinct slanted or cone-shaped head marks this type of grasshopper.
Spur-Throated Grasshopper
- Like the slant-faced grasshopper, spur-throats feature a short antennae and colorless wings without bands. However, this group is characterized by a spur between the set of legs farthest back on the abdomen. The spur is a small jutting piece of exoskeleton that resembles a peg. Spur-Throated Grasshoppers are resilient and agile in flight and can travel great distances. Members of this species are numerous can be devastating to agricultural crops.

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