Grasshopper Facts for Kids

A Picture of a Grasshopper
  • Common Name: Grasshopper
  • Kingdom: Animalia
  • Phylum: Arthropoda
  • Class: Insecta
  • Order: Orthoptera
  • Suborder: Caelifera
  • Infraorder: Acrididea

13 Grasshopper Facts for Kids

  1. Grasshoppers are ground-dwelling insects with the ability to jump long distances to evade threats.
  2. There are around 11,000 known species of grasshoppers in the Caelifera suborder.
  3. Grasshoppers can be identified by their two antennas, four small legs, two enlarged legs and elongated shape.
  4. Grasshoppers are commonly brown and green or a mixture of the two. However, there are some species of grasshoppers that have a wide range of vivid colors, like the rainbow grasshopper (Dactylotum bicolor).
  5. Grasshoppers are separated into two main groups, short-horned grasshoppers and long-horned grasshoppers.
  6. The only different between short-horned grasshoppers and long-horned grasshoppers is the size of their antennae.
  7. Grasshoppers are herbivorous, they eat plants and other types of vegetation.
  8. A large grasshopper can jump between 10 and 20 times its body length without the aid of its wings.
  9. A grasshopper’s jump, assisted with its wings, can reach a speed of up to eight miles per hour.
  10. Some species of grasshoppers have developed with excellent anti-predator defenses. The hooded leaf grasshopper (Phyllochoreia ramakrishnai) mimics the look and colors of certain leaves. Stick grasshoppers (Proscopiidae) mimic the look and color of wooden sticks.
  11. Grasshoppers are sometimes considered pests and can damage crops.
  12. A swarm of grasshoppers, also known as locusts, can damage crops over a huge area. These swarms can cost millions and sometimes billions of dollars in damages.
  13. In many countries, grasshoppers are considered a delicate food.

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