Grasshopper and cricket are both insects and they mostly feed on plant materials. They all have segmented bodies that are; the head, thorax, and abdomen.
Grasshoppers are different from crickets in that they have long antennae and stridulate by rubbing their long hind legs against their wings while the crickets have short antennae and they stridulate by rubbing their wings together.
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Comparison Table (Grasshopper Vs Cricket)
| Basic Terms | Grasshopper | Cricket |
| Appearance | They have long antennae, their color ranges from green to olive or brown, and may have yellow or red markings. | They have short antennae, its color is light, yellowish-brown with three dark crossbands on their heads. |
| Habitat | They inhabit nearly all terrestrial habitats, that is; dry open habitats with a lot of grass and other low plants. | They live in fields, trees, burrows, caves, and garbage dumps. |
| What they eat | They eat plants mostly leaves but sometimes they may eat flowers, stems, and seeds. | Outside crickets feed on plants and dead or live insects while the inside ones feed on fabric. |
| Signs | It is a symbol of good luck all over the world. | They symbolize luck, protection, patience, and contemplation. |
| Stridulation | They rub the hind leg against the forewing. | They rub wings together. |
| Auditory organs | Found on the abdomen. | Found on forelegs. |
| Active | They are active during the day. | They are active during the night. |
| Ovipositor | They have short ovipositors. | They have long ovipositors. |
What Is Grasshopper?
A grasshopper is an insect that is found in various habitats. They occur in great numbers in lowland tropical forests, semi-arid regions, and grasslands. They range in color from green to olive or brown and may have yellow or red markings.
They are mostly found in grasslands because they are herbivores. They feed on plant materials. They feed mostly on the leaves of plants, although sometimes they may feed on flowers, stems, and seeds of the plants.
They are active during the day in order for them to see the plants they feed on. They have auditory organs on their abdomen and this makes them able to hear when an enemy is approaching. They serve as food for lizards, birds, and spiders.
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What Is Cricket?
Cricket is an insect related to bush cricket and more distant to a grasshopper. They are widely distributed and are known for their musical chirping of the male. In many cultures, crickets are seen as a sign of good luck and are mostly featured in literature and folklore.
They have cylindrical bodies, rounded heads, long antennae, and strong hind legs. They are attracted to a place that has food, where they can shelter and light. They are omnivores. They eat both plants and animals. Sometimes they may feed on their fellow crickets targeting especially the injured ones and the weak ones.
They are mostly active during the night. This is to keep away their predators as many predators are active during the day.
Main Differences between Grasshopper and Crickets
- Grasshoppers have short antennae while crickets have long antennae.
- Grasshoppers have ranged from color green to olive or brown and may have red or yellow markings while crickets are light, yellowish-brown with three dark crossbands on the head.
- Grasshoppers are active during the day while the crickets are active during the night.
- Grasshoppers have auditory organs on their abdomen while crickets have auditory organs on their forelegs.
- Grasshoppers stridulate by rubbing their hind legs against their fore wings while the crickets stridulate by rubbing their wings together.
- Grasshoppers are herbivores as they eat plants mainly leaves while the crickets are omnivores as they feed on both plants and animals.
- Grasshoppers live in dry open areas with a lot of grass and other low plants while crickets live in trees, burrows, caves, and garbage dumps.
Similarities between Grasshopper and Cricket
- Both are signs of good luck.
- They both have ovipositors from where they lay eggs.
- They both stridulate.
- They both have straight wings.
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FAQs
Can you eat grasshoppers or crickets?
Yes, you can. Most types of grasshoppers are edible as they are rich in proteins. Crickets are made into powder or flour and they can be bought from shops. The advantage part of it is that it can be collected from anywhere.
Do grasshoppers and crickets get along?
They do get along pretty well. This is because they live in different places and feed on different things and this makes them not be enemies since they are not competing over anything. They are also active at different times.
Do grasshoppers eat crickets?
No, they don’t. Grasshoppers are herbivores and this means that they only feed on plants. They are active during the day and crickets are active during the night and this makes the chances of them meeting limited hence they cannot feed on each other.
Do grasshoppers make the same noise as crickets?
Grasshoppers make chirping sounds by rubbing their hind legs against their wings while crickets produce sound by rubbing their wings together. This results in completely different sounds as they are produced by different organs.
Are grasshoppers dangerous?
Grasshoppers do not bite people. Although, sometimes they may do so when they gather in large swarms or when they feel threatened. Their bites are not poisonous hence they are not dangerous to human beings.
Are crickets harmful to humans?
Yes, they are. Crickets can bite human beings and they carry a significant number of diseases. The numerous diseases that they carry can be spread through their bites, physical contact, or through their feces.
Comparison Video
https://youtu.be/aacDHHlcELI
Summary
Grasshoppers and crickets are different in that the crickets are active at night while the grasshoppers are active during the day. The grasshopper is a herbivore as it feeds on plant materials while the crickets are omnivores as they feed on both plants and animals.
Although, both crickets and grasshoppers are found in the same class however much they behave slightly differently from one another.
More Sources and References:
- Cricket (insect). Wikipedia
- Grasshopper. Wikipedia