Arachnid grasshopper: turned the jungle on its ears and impales prey on spikes like shish kebab (5 photos)

If you go deep enough into the forests of South America, you can meet the main nocturnal bustler of the tropics - the spider-like grasshopper.





If you throw one of these into a crowd of women - it will definitely cause a fuss!

It will not cowardly hide in the grass - its outfit is absolutely not intended for camouflage. Chitinous armor is decorated with all the colors of the rainbow. Direct gaze is cold and indifferent. And giant paws, studded with thorns and needles, turn a familiar bug into a machine for annihilating small animals of South America.



This guy always has barbecue season!

The limbs work like a trap. In one movement, the grasshopper throws them forward and strings up the prey, like pieces of meat on a skewer. The thorns on the hind legs also bring suffering. But they do it differently. The spider-like grasshopper sent the entire conservatory with its violins to hell. He is not going to chirp to someone else's tune. Instead, the insect has learned to hum like a multi-ton freight car.





I'm not going to eat grass. I'm not going to be friends with flies either. Any other questions?

Just imagine - they produce 110 dB! This is a bold statement for the nomination of "the loudest insect on the planet". For comparison, the famous mole crickets sing at a volume of only 90 dB. As scientists say, only cicadas scream louder than spider-like grasshoppers - 120 dB. Naturally, all the serenades are dedicated to the beautiful ladies. Blacksmiths are great, they tear the strings of the soul and eardrums of those around them for the sake of love. How romantic!



Try explaining your clothes to someone like that. He'll explain everything to you himself!

Grasshoppers make noise with the help of a stridulatory apparatus. Its operating principle is somewhat similar to an electric guitar. On the left wing of the insects there is a thick vein-pick, on the right - the same vein, but with teeth - strings. When the wings rub against each other, the pick touches the teeth, and the well-known chirping is produced. There are also peculiar mirrors-resonators on the wings - they help make the sound even louder.



Not all spider grasshoppers are bright. Some of them look gothic and gloomy.

Despite the fact that the insect is bright and loud, it is extremely difficult to study it and there is little information about it. 2 out of 4 species of the genus were discovered only in 2017. Do not scold entomologists: try to crawl through the South American wilds yourself in search of a bug 2-3 centimeters in size. You will understand that finding a needle in a haystack is even easier!