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Sticker of Devastating grasshopper
Bug card No. 1348 of 4,939

Devastating grasshopper

Melanoplus devastator
Eats: PlantsGrasshoppers and cricketsGardens and meadows6 legs

The devastating grasshopper is a grasshopper from North America. It has short feelers and strong back legs for big jumps. Its name sounds scary, but it is just a hungry plant eater.

Lives in
North America, in grassy places
Top speed
about 10 km/h (6.2 mph)
On foot, estimate
Can it hurt you?
Harmless
Harmless to people. It may kick with its strong back legs if you hold it.
What does it eat?
Like other grasshoppers, it munches on plants and grasses.
For real!Photo of Devastating grasshopper
Picture by Eugene Zelenko. CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.

How fast is it?

cool stuff

Fun facts

1

It is a spur-throated grasshopper. These grasshoppers have a little spike under their throat, between the front legs.

2

There are three slightly different kinds of it, called subspecies.

3

It was named by the American scientist Samuel Scudder in 1878.

you asked

Most asked questions about Devastating grasshopper

?Is the devastating grasshopper dangerous?

No. It is harmless to people and only eats plants.

?What does the devastating grasshopper eat?

Plants and grasses, like other grasshoppers.

For bug experts

Scientific name
Melanoplus devastator
Named by
Scudder, 1878
Group
Grasshoppers and crickets
Family
Acrididae
Classification
Insecta > Orthoptera > Acrididae
Lives on
North America

Where the facts come from

  1. Melanoplus devastator (Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0): what it looks like, where it lives, what it eats, sizes and fun facts, retold in simple words.
  2. Picture by Eugene Zelenko. CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons. The sticker of this bug is drawn from this picture.

If we got something wrong, sorry, we are bug fans, not a science journal. Tell us at [email protected] and we will fix it.

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