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Sticker of Black-horned tree cricket
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Black-horned tree cricket

Oecanthus nigricornis

The black-horned tree cricket is a slim cricket from North America. It belongs to a group called tree crickets, which live up in plants instead of on the ground. When a male wants to win a partner, he gives her a present of food.

Lives in
North America, in plants and bushes
Top speed
about 3 km/h (1.9 mph)
On foot, estimate
Can it hurt you?
Harmless
Harmless. It cannot sting, so you can watch it up close.
What does it eat?
It nibbles on plants and also eats tiny insects.
For real!Photo of Black-horned tree cricket
Picture by Andrew C. CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons.

How fast is it?

cool stuff

Fun facts

1

It lives in North America.

2

When a male and a female meet, the male gives her a snack as a gift. Scientists call this a wedding gift.

3

Females choose the male with the best gift, not the biggest one. A good gift helps them lay more eggs.

you asked

Most asked questions about Black-horned tree cricket

?Where does the black-horned tree cricket live?

In North America, among plants and bushes.

?Is the black-horned tree cricket dangerous?

No. It is a small, harmless insect without a sting.

For bug experts

Scientific name
Oecanthus nigricornis
Group
Grasshoppers and crickets
Family
Gryllidae
Classification
Insecta > Orthoptera > Gryllidae
Lives on
North America

Where the facts come from

  1. Oecanthus nigricornis (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 Andrew C. CC BY 2.0, 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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