The Grey Bird Grasshoppers at CSUN are so big they should pay tuition.
I caught a Grey Bird Grasshopper to feed to Kim, my Black Widow. I won’t have to feed her for weeks after this huge meal!
This Gray Bird Grasshopper is quite pretty… I like that its legs look like they’re covered in fish scales on the sides. And check out the barbs on the back of its legs, I’m sure you’d get a nasty kick if you were a predator.
“I picked up this little guy while volunteering at Audubon Arkansas. He chilled on my hand for about 10 to 15 minutes before jumping away. I named him Alfonso (assuming it was a male). He was waving at people as we walked by. He just moved his front leg back and forth. It was so cute! Without using a key, I’d say it’s an American Bird Grasshopper. What about you? Oh, and sorry about the quality. I was taking it with my phone and I couldn’t get it to focus correctly.”- joshbregy
I think you are probably right about it being an American Bird Grasshopper. That would have been my guess, as well. Don’t worry, bugs aren’t easy photo subjects!
“Any idea what kind of grasshopper this is? I saw him on a recent trip to Florida and he was HUGE. Nearly the size of one of my feet.”- disimilate
Hi, I believe this is an Eastern Lubber Grasshopper… (Romalea microptera) A large species of Grasshopper, common in FL. It has short wings and two very different color variations- one is light with markings and one is jet black with markings. They look so different that it’s often assumed they are different species. Your fellow seems to be in the middle at slightly orangish… Check it out on Bugguide and let us know if you agree!
Awesome Grasshopper Nymph I found at school! I love his color! No clue what he is though. Any pointers?!
Today was my very first day at Cal State Northridge! The school has a botanical garden that is loaded with cool critters! Here is the very first of what I am sure will be many of the CSUN bugs!
Someone ate this large Grasshopper’s leg, it seems. He was as long as my index finger. So, I picked him up to take a better picture of him and the bugger threw up on me! All this gross orange liquid came spewing out of his mouth. So, no picture for you. Did you know they did that?? What the hell kind of defense is throw up? Well, actually, I take it back, because it worked.. I released him.
