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Grasshoppers and Locusts Facts & Worksheets

Grasshoppers and locusts are a type of ground-dwelling insect known for their powerful hind legs and ability to escape predators.

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Grasshoppers and locusts are a type of ground-dwelling insect known for their powerful hind legs and ability to escape predators. Locusts are simply grasshoppers which have formed swarms that usually turn into pests for crops such as cereals and vegetables.

See the fact file below for more information on the grasshoppers and locusts or alternatively, you can download our 21-page Grasshoppers and Locusts worksheet pack to utilise within the classroom or home environment.

Key Facts & Information

ETYMOLOGY AND TAXONOMY

  • Grasshoppers belong to the suborder Caelifera under the class Insecta. Their existence dates back to 250 million years ago.
  • This suborder consists of six superfamilies: Acridoidea, Eumastacoidea, Pneumoroidea, Proscopioidea, Pyrgomorphoidea, Tanaorceroidea, and Trigonopterygoidea, which are distinguished based on being short-horned or long-horned.
  • Locusts are a type of short-horned grasshopper that are known for their swarming phase. The term comes from locusta which is a form of vulgar Latin meaning “grasshopper”.
  • There is no taxonomic distinction between grasshoppers and locusts. The difference lies in whether a certain species of grasshopper will form swarms under specific environmental conditions.

PHYSICAL ATTRIBUTES

  • Grasshoppers have the same basic body parts as other insects: head, thorax, and abdomen. Their head is positioned vertically against the body and their mouths face downward. This mouthpart is modified for chewing and contains sensory palps along the jaw.
  • Grasshoppers use a pair of compound eyes for all-around vision, three simple eyes to detect light and dark, and a pair of sensitive antennae for touch and smell.
  • Their thorax and abdomen are built from overlapping plates made of chitin. The segments in the thorax bear three pairs of legs and two pairs of wings controlled by muscles beneath the thoracic area.
  • The grasshoppers’ tegmina or forewings are narrow and leathery while the hindwings are large and membranous and provide strength for flight.
  • The grasshopper takes on a diverse range of colors depending on the species. Their thoracic sections and wings also sometimes manifest spotted patterns and bands.

BEHAVIOR

  • In order to protect themselves from potential predators such as birds and reptiles, grasshoppers camouflage themselves according to their environment. When detected, they flash their colored wings while jumping in an attempt to startle their enemies.
  • Grasshoppers often stridulate or make shrill sounds by rubbing their legs, wings, or other parts of the body together. Males are more prone to stridulate throughout an entire day compared to females.
  • The sounds produced are a form of communication, usually the male signaling his reproductive maturity.
  • Certain short-horned grasshoppers in the Acrididae family undergo a swarming stage which results from overcrowding. During this period, they become known as locusts. Swarming also causes grasshoppers to change color, breed faster, and consume more food.
  • Locusts have been known to cause plagues throughout history. Adult locusts can travel great distances and consume most of the green vegetation in areas where the swarms settle.
  • Individual grasshoppers that get detached from a locust swarm eventually fly back into the mass.
  • Others that get left behind after feeding take off to rejoin the swarm when it passes overhead.
  • When individuals at the front of the swarm settle to feed, others fly past overhead and settle in turn, the whole swarm acting like a rolling unit with an ever-changing leading edge.

HABITAT AND DIET

  • Grasshoppers have a plant-based diet and during the swarming phase of some species can consume entire pastures of crops and vegetation. Other species demonstrate an omnivorous diet, consuming certain amounts of animal tissue.
  • Grasshoppers are ground-dwellers and are scattered throughout the continents except for Antarctica. Most of the grasshopper’s 10,000 species are inclined to live in dry, open environments with plenty of grass. Some also dwell in forests and sandy deserts.

REPRODUCTION

  • The mating process of grasshoppers involves the usual ritualistic display of attraction which can sometimes result in conflicts between the male and female. A female grasshopper digs a hole near a pond with food plants and uses her ovipositor to lay her batch of eggs inside that hole. She then uses soil to cover and protect her eggs.
  • Females usually lay their eggs during the summer. The eggs of most species go into diapause or delay their development after a few weeks. This is dependent on the temperature. Development resumes when the ground reaches warm enough temperature threshold.
  • Upon hatching, the embryos inside the eggs shed their membranes and their exoskeletons harden. Throughout their maturity, grasshoppers undergo incomplete metamorphosis – they repeatedly molt and grow at each stage.
  • Grasshoppers do not live long. Most adults only survive until the winter while some species who dwell in warmer climates may live for up to several years.

CONSERVATION

  • With the vast number of grasshopper species, some have been better at surviving the rapidly changing environments compared to others. The Key’s Matchstick Grasshopper, or the Keyacris scurra, of New South Wales in Australia, for example, has recently been declared endangered. Their population has been steadily decreasing due to land clearing and urban development.

Grasshoppers and Locusts Worksheets

This is a fantastic bundle which includes everything you need to know about the Grasshoppers and Locusts across 21 in-depth pages. These are ready-to-use Grasshoppers and Locusts worksheets that are perfect for teaching students about the grasshoppers and locusts which are a type of ground-dwelling insect known for their powerful hind legs and ability to escape predators. Locusts are simply grasshoppers which have formed swarms that usually turn into pests for crops such as cereals and vegetables.

Complete List Of Included Worksheets

  • Grasshopper and Locusts Facts
  • Good Day, Hopper
  • Grasshopper Coloring
  • Fact Check
  • Grasshopper Recipe
  • Just Locust Things
  • Grasshoppers in Our Area
  • Similar, But Not Really
  • Locusts Going Loco
  • Grasshopper Alphabet
  • Interaction with Humans

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Link will appear as Grasshoppers and Locusts Facts & Worksheets: https://kidskonnect.com - KidsKonnect, November 5, 2020

Use With Any Curriculum

These worksheets have been specifically designed for use with any international curriculum. You can use these worksheets as-is, or edit them using Google Slides to make them more specific to your own student ability levels and curriculum standards.

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