Camera Critters

This delightful little critter is the Lubber Grasshopper.  It is a giant, slow moving grasshopper that I found in the live insect exhibit at the Natural History Museum.   Those bright colors tell any predator that what they think of as a tasty little meal, actually contain toxins that will make them very ill. 

If you find one and pick it up, the grasshopper will make a loud hissing noise and secrete an irritating, foul-smelling foamy spray.  These four-inch grasshoppers are too large for most predators, so they don't need to move very fast.   It cannot fly and can only jump short distances.

Despite their relatively large size, lubber grasshoppers usually eat less and cause less damage than their smaller relatives.  Lubber grasshoppers also rarely occur in large enough concentrations to cause significant damage.

Thank you Misty for hosting Camera Critters.

To see other fun critters please click here.