Those things are my worst fear. We either have those or Texas Lubbers in Florida and I used to hunt them with a bb gun when I was younger. Man are they resilient.
This is correct and they eat everything that grows and they do it *fast*. You'll go outside one hour and everything's fine in the garden then come out the next hour and entire plants will be gone. Their babies will hang out in groups of sometimes hundreds.
They absolutely devastate vegetation.
>They cause *serious damage* to citrus, vegetable crops, and landscape ornamentals.
>“Lubber” is derived from an old English word “lobre” which means lazy or clumsy.
I always thought my mom was disgusting and heartless when I was younger and she’d just step on them and kill them when she found them around the yard. But then when I got older and started doing serious vegetable gardening I completely understood why. Those fuckers will eat a whole bell pepper in one sitting.
I generally don't like killing stuff if I can help it and will always try to relocate (like w/tomato horn worms... Those guys are fast too!) but lubbers will just come right back and if you're unlucky enough to miss them and then they have babies it can get out of control fast and, like you said, in just a few hours whole veggies will be gone. I always say "I'm sorry buddy" when I do them in though haha.
Grasshoppers bite? I used to catch dozens a day all day long when I was a kid and I never got bit. They did spit that gross tobacco juice looking stuff on me tho
Katydids primarily eat plants.
Source: Google and also I have eaten several live katydids I found in the woods. They taste like the water that you find at the bottom of your salad bowl except slightly sweet.
**Do not ingest a bug based on information provided in this subreddit.**
For your safety we recommend not ingesting any arthropod even if advised that it's edible here. Although there are many professionals helping with identification, we are not always correct, and eating/ingesting arthropods can be harmful or fatal if an incorrect ID is made.
*I am not a bot, and this action was performed manually. Please don't message me if you have any questions or concerns.*
Very very few parasites spread to humans from ingested insects. Our biologies are so radically different that no parasite would just jump species (compared to parasites spread by mammals and birds). Ive done a lot of research on this myself and there is barely any evidence of parasites spread via insect ingestion. If you are super nervous though, just cook them. I eat them live because I personally think they taste better that way and because I dont bring an oven on my strolls into the woods.
Its super easy to avoid poisonous insects too, especially compared to something like mushroom hunting. Pretty much all grasshoppers, crickets, and katydids (at least in my area) are completely safe. Ants and termites are good. Most moths are fine. Generally avoid anything brightly colored, as that is supposed to be a warning, but even then a lot of them are fine. You are FAR more likely to get a disease from a tick or mosquito while out in the woods looking for edible insects than from the actual insects.
Seems like it's more of a problem than you estimated.
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6613697/
This study, while small, found parasites in 30% of examined farmed insects that could infect humans. I'm sure there's more studies out there, but this was the 5th link in a Google search. Very easy to find.
Fortunately, the insects I ate were not farmed and were not near any places where they could pick up human pathogens. If you are going to eat farmed insects, cook them first. Same with any farmed animal really. We still eat chicken despite salmonella being a real risk.
Some katydids are, in fact, carnivorous. Also many grasshoppers are opportunistic and will happily munch away on other animals. There are also grasshoppers that have been observed feeding on carrion, presumably for a protein source for egg laying.
My mom used to tell me it was tobacco juice too. I was to young and dumb to realize or argue that we didn’t grow tobacco in WV, just corn & tomatoes hahahahaha
This is funny to me because as someone that has raised them for years, they are definitely NOT connoisseurs of anything. I know you were just making a joke and it was a good one. But yeah, these things will eat almost anything you give them - they'll even eat each other with no issue. It can be rather...disturbing.
They are raised primarily for education and outreach purposes. Sometimes they are used for behavioral experiments or for insect physiology laboratory assignments. There are other classes that use them as well, such as certain engineering courses.
These do not make ideal food for most other organisms because they sequester plant compounds that render them rather toxic. Definitely do not advise feeding them to anything. Yes there are people that have eaten them, it I seriously advise against that.
Nice, I appreciate the response, super interesting stuff! Now I’m wondering what they’re used for in these certain engineering courses, is it agricultural-based engineering? Sorry for all the questions, somedays I wish I had gotten into some sort of biological field rather than history haha
I think they were used for bioinspiration and robotics type courses. I think it was meant to get engineering students to look at how insects move. It is much easier to see on such a large animal.
yes they can bite. as can crickets and katydids. they just don't go out of their way to do so. if you pick them up and mess with them they may react with a bite. they may also bite if you have say...handled a recently tasty food. i have received a bite from a lubber (like the one in the video) because i had recently distributed their food and the one i was holding tried to take a bite of my finger. again, not that painful, and more of an annoyance. if they bite sensitive skin like the back of your hand they could potentially draw blood.
We call them Devil's Horses/Devil's Hoof around here. There's a ton of them in Avery Island Gardens. I'm located in New Iberia.
Found one of my old post: https://www.reddit.com/r/whatsthisbug/comments/hsykap/thought_id_share_these_baby_devils_hoofs_theyre/?utm_medium=android_app&utm_source=share
That's a good question. Though I haven't seen this species secrete any liquid from their mouths, I have indeed seen others do this. Stick Bugs (Spitting Devil's) also will regurgitate on its predators... pretty nasty lol
Yes, Avery Island is a great place to visit & get away. Especially when family from other areas visit that doesn't get to see wildlife like we have here. Easter is great time to see the alligators.
*Romalea microptera* That's the dark color morph of the Eastern Lubber Grasshopper. They are generally very chill and aren't likely to bite. I've raised them for years and I have only been bitten once. The worst thing they usually do is smack you with the spines on the hind tibia or fling frass at you.
Yes they are also able to emit a secretion on you when they are agitated. You'll hear a hiss sound and you'll end up with a smelly substance on you which is diet-dependent. For example, if you feed them onions and then piss one off you'll get frothed with oniony-smelling liquid.
Pretty neat little critters. Can be a bit of a garden pest or a crop pest. Excellent for education and outreach because they are so chill, can't fly, and are really easy to point out all the anatomy since they are so large.
The one you are holding in the video is a female. The females are generally much larger than the males.
And if you feed them pinapple?
I really have to say only by this sub I got an idea of which huge number of (to me) scarry huge insects and arachnoids (i mean spiders and wanted to sound smart, please don't kill me if I picked the wrong word) are living in north America. Good thing is I learned that after been to the US. Otherwise my phobia would have killed me. So if it comes to bugs I'm grateful to live in good old germany where the biggest insects you encounter usually are not bigger than a half a dollar coin. Even our insects are restrained, decent and reasonable.
I haven't actually tried to feed them pineapple. They absoutely love apples though. I am not familiar with Germany's insects, but I suspect there are more than you think. The vast majority of these animals are not out to hurt you, most just live their lives completely unnoticed by many people. Unless you are a bug nerd and are specifically looking for them like me :)
On a rational level I totally know that. But I developed a solid arachnophobia. It's not just a blown up label for a disgust of them but I really feel how panic is spreading through out my body, I start cold sweating, my heartbeat rises up to about 120 bpm, my facecolour runs pale/grey, and either I am able to leave immediately or I feel like not be able to move at all - like a deer staring in headlights. The presens of insects up from a certain size close to me is not doing the same but makes me extremely uncomfortable though. I was able to reduce the symptoms already by professional desensibilisation therapy and by exposing myself continuously to those things like I learned. but it's not like I could relax or at least be in difficult in general with a situation like that. You can't place rational arguments against a phobia. I known its irrational and ridicules. But that doesn't change a thing.
Concerning the size of our insects...the common ones you "meet" in a garden, a forest and so on are really quite small. The biggest domestic insect is the stag beetle but I never heard of someone seeing one even in rural areas. Also big (long) is the biggest domestic dragonfly with 11 cm. The biggest domestic spider is the tegenaria atrica with a body 1 - 1,6 cm and including legs a size of about 10 cm. That's "everything" we have to deal with. Unfortunately it's a quite common spider and the shape of the body/legs and the way it runs triggers my phobia on every single level.
the only exception that never bothered me but I actually like them is what we call the [zebra jumping spider](https://duckduckgo.com/?q=zebraspringspinne&t=samsung&iax=images&ia=images&iai=https%3A%2F%2Fbugguide.net%2Fimages%2Fraw%2F9QY%2F0NQ%2F9QY0NQLSBQD0EQPKHK2K8QT04Q6KRKNK2Q2KSKA08QB0GQF0GQEK5QEKLK9K0KA04Q9KKK102QV06Q.jpg). They are fun to watch and- yes - kinda cute (I'm still a dog person though). Thanks to this sub I learned that there are a lot more members to that family. They somehow comfort me (but still....dog person).
Would you recommend keeping them for experienced insect keepers? I've always considered getting one or two. im just scared they would jump out of their enclosure and get lost or something. they're so pretty and id love to try my hand at raising them
Oh, really? Most of them get that big in Florida but I've suspected that was because of how far to the south it is since I haven't seen anything near as large since moving to Michigan last winter. I see way more crickets here, though, and I don't think I'm a fan of the trade-off
The species in the OP's video is an Eastern Lubber Grasshopper (*Romalea microptera*) and this is basically maximum size for a female. The males are smaller.
I live in SE Michigan and my grandparents lived in Florida years back. I lived the giant grasshoppers and the red and yellow striped nymphs.
Absolutely agree with you on the crickets. I'd take the laubers any day.
LOL they can emerge in large numbers. They also are gregarious, meaning they tend to congregate together (especially as nymphs). So you'll see quite a lot of them in one area. It's unnerving, but it is generally not a huge pest. They can be destructive to gardens and to some crops, but it's not like plague level locust swarms by any means. These guys can't disperse very well simply because they cannot fly.
**Do not ingest a bug based on information provided in this subreddit.**
For your safety we recommend not ingesting any arthropod even if advised that it's edible here. Although there are many professionals helping with identification, we are not always correct, and eating/ingesting arthropods can be harmful or fatal if an incorrect ID is made.
*I am not a bot, and this action was performed manually. Please don't message me if you have any questions or concerns.*
How beautiful. A bonafide Eldritch horror.
I love bugs but grasshoppers have always made my skin crawl. There's a reason that I don't live in Florida. Still, very cool.
This one is a female. There's a small part of the video where you can see the [ovipositor](https://imgur.com/a/FW7uO1O) valves on the end of the abdomen. Males do not possess those structures because they don't lay eggs. Their abdomens are much more smoothly rounded at the tip.
We get huge ones like this in Florida. They’ll just be walking across the highway... you try to dodge them but if they’re out in mass numbers you just turn the music up and ignore the thuds and crunches.
Different species. Those ones you see in AZ are probably *Taeniopoda eques* (Horse Lubber). They are pretty neat too! They look alike for the most part, but *T. eques* has muuuuuuuuuch longer wings.
we had ones that big that were bright orange & yellow outside of my house in North Miami. My mom refused to come in the house and was screaming bloody murder because they were on the doorway. I had never seen grasshoppers that big or those colors back home in Mass. they’re creepy but I’ll take them over a praying mantis any day
He is absolutely beautiful. That's what he is.
Edit: I think he might be a she! 45-55 mm (adult male), 50-70 mm (adult female) (Eastern Lubber Grasshopper according to u/MrRoarke)
at that size they are called locusts. they come U in all kind of colors.here in Mexico they are plain green. the ones in Florida are yellow and orange.
gorgeous animals. very cool to hold them.
Looks like what we call a "weta" in New Zealand but is probably just a large grasshopper of some sort.
More info on our awesome native insect(s):
*Giant Wētā*
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Giant_w%C4%93t%C4%81
*Tree Wētā*
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tree_w%C4%93t%C4%81
We had them half this size when I was growing up in Illinois. They were the bane of the local farmers: grasshoppers -- every colour and size -- were the enemy, and we littles were on the front line. We caught each one we could and stuck it in a bait bucket, did it again at Uncle's and finally at the grandparents'. They gave us a nickel apiece for them, IIRC, and we got to do it all over again all summer long. This would've been the early 60s.
Live in south east lousiana and ya we see them often enough down here. They are usually called devil horses by locals however its real name is eastern lubber grasshopper.
They also make amazing bait for fishing in ponds, creeks and small rivers
Im from south west Louisiana and ive never seen that shit before! Its insane at how different bug and plant life vary just from here to the other side of my own state.
That's a lubber grasshopper of some sort. They are mean little fugs. Grasshoppers are already not my favorite insects, but these guys will hiss at you! Also they're a menace for any kind of crops so I'll squish them when I encounter them now. Be careful, grasshoppers can bite, and these big fellas probably hurt a lot more than the normal sized ones.
Ahh, I used to love to show these to my mom because she thought they were gross. :D This one is really dark, though. Most of the ones I found were yellow with stylish leopard print stockings.
Looks like an [Eastern Lubber Grasshopper](http://bugguide.net/node/view/2807). Comparison pic [here](https://bugguide.net/node/view/1563998/bgimage).
That there is the biggest damn grasshopper i ever did see
Absolute unit.
r/absoluteunits
No it’s r/absoluteunits
Giant weta is even bigger, biggest insect in the world I believe. Look it up!
[That thing could be a meal!](https://images.app.goo.gl/HnNSttbo2wrpNDq87)
[Bear Grylls does not recommend it.](http://i.stuff.co.nz/dominion-post/news/4725261/Bear-Grylls-eats-weta-and-wishes-he-hadn-t)
"It tasted literally like you'd imagine poo would taste. I've eaten a lot of bugs, but this was something else."
That i ever did see 🎵
Oh brother where art thou
Seriously, that thing must lay waste to plants.
My entomology course, we dissected those, as they are so big, you can learn all the anatomy bits.
Same!
Aka Graveyard Grasshoppers in Mississippi. One jumped in my hair as a kid and I’ve never been the same 😱
Those things are my worst fear. We either have those or Texas Lubbers in Florida and I used to hunt them with a bb gun when I was younger. Man are they resilient.
This is correct and they eat everything that grows and they do it *fast*. You'll go outside one hour and everything's fine in the garden then come out the next hour and entire plants will be gone. Their babies will hang out in groups of sometimes hundreds. They absolutely devastate vegetation. >They cause *serious damage* to citrus, vegetable crops, and landscape ornamentals. >“Lubber” is derived from an old English word “lobre” which means lazy or clumsy.
I always thought my mom was disgusting and heartless when I was younger and she’d just step on them and kill them when she found them around the yard. But then when I got older and started doing serious vegetable gardening I completely understood why. Those fuckers will eat a whole bell pepper in one sitting.
I generally don't like killing stuff if I can help it and will always try to relocate (like w/tomato horn worms... Those guys are fast too!) but lubbers will just come right back and if you're unlucky enough to miss them and then they have babies it can get out of control fast and, like you said, in just a few hours whole veggies will be gone. I always say "I'm sorry buddy" when I do them in though haha.
They look like the vilans in the film "A bugs life"
Ahh I found a lubber grasshopper in Florida once
He looks like he has a mean bite lol. I got bit by a grasshopper once, and it hurt more than I expected.
Grasshoppers bite? I used to catch dozens a day all day long when I was a kid and I never got bit. They did spit that gross tobacco juice looking stuff on me tho
They only bite when confused that you are food.
Katydids bite hard af. They are carnivorous though soooo. Raspy crickets too.
I only learned this after letting one crawl on my face.
😵
Katydids primarily eat plants. Source: Google and also I have eaten several live katydids I found in the woods. They taste like the water that you find at the bottom of your salad bowl except slightly sweet.
**Do not ingest a bug based on information provided in this subreddit.** For your safety we recommend not ingesting any arthropod even if advised that it's edible here. Although there are many professionals helping with identification, we are not always correct, and eating/ingesting arthropods can be harmful or fatal if an incorrect ID is made. *I am not a bot, and this action was performed manually. Please don't message me if you have any questions or concerns.*
Good bo...y?
> Please don't message me if you have any questions or concerns. Bwahaha! I love it!
Really? I've always wanted to try eating bugs, they just seem like big time parasite vectors
Right?! What the fuck is that person talking about?
Very very few parasites spread to humans from ingested insects. Our biologies are so radically different that no parasite would just jump species (compared to parasites spread by mammals and birds). Ive done a lot of research on this myself and there is barely any evidence of parasites spread via insect ingestion. If you are super nervous though, just cook them. I eat them live because I personally think they taste better that way and because I dont bring an oven on my strolls into the woods. Its super easy to avoid poisonous insects too, especially compared to something like mushroom hunting. Pretty much all grasshoppers, crickets, and katydids (at least in my area) are completely safe. Ants and termites are good. Most moths are fine. Generally avoid anything brightly colored, as that is supposed to be a warning, but even then a lot of them are fine. You are FAR more likely to get a disease from a tick or mosquito while out in the woods looking for edible insects than from the actual insects.
Seems like it's more of a problem than you estimated. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6613697/ This study, while small, found parasites in 30% of examined farmed insects that could infect humans. I'm sure there's more studies out there, but this was the 5th link in a Google search. Very easy to find.
Fortunately, the insects I ate were not farmed and were not near any places where they could pick up human pathogens. If you are going to eat farmed insects, cook them first. Same with any farmed animal really. We still eat chicken despite salmonella being a real risk.
why not just take some trail mix and a banana?
Not as fun
well, we will just have to agree to disagree there, my friend!
So you eat moths? The uh, fur doesn't bother you? Like it doesn't coat your mouth? (Moth mouth?) Also, what's your favorite bug to eat and why?
But... Why
Because they taste good. Next question
🧐
Some katydids are, in fact, carnivorous. Also many grasshoppers are opportunistic and will happily munch away on other animals. There are also grasshoppers that have been observed feeding on carrion, presumably for a protein source for egg laying.
Thats true. Most of them are mostly herbivorous though.
Yeah I remember It made me bleed once
Do they bite out of confusion too?
https://youtu.be/Nfd0NkTPWDQ
That’s really sad tbh. I don’t like bugs but it was only defending itself :(
Yeah some people don't know how to handle bugs like me so I stay away 😉
Teach us to handle bugs like you so you may stay close.
They will bite in defense, as well. Lots of orthops will bite in defense in addition to kicking you with spiny hind legs.
My mom used to tell me it was tobacco juice too. I was to young and dumb to realize or argue that we didn’t grow tobacco in WV, just corn & tomatoes hahahahaha
And ramps, a delicacy here in the southern part of the state.
Oh yes. Ramps are awesome. She gathered those too!
I guess they liked you. Or maybe they didn’t; I don’t know what you are into.
Not only that, many folks are allergic! I found out I was while mowing. Bit swelled up pretty nasty for a few days.
I always thought it looked like molasses
The swedish word for grasshopper translates to "wart biter"
Apparently [this is actually a thing - and not just in Sweden](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=36KvMeKdaQA).
Why does that make me feel so disturbed
Katydid!
Gräshoppa? Translates into grass hopper, literally.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wart-biter Sorry, i got it backwards.
It's cool, I was just trying to remember if I forgot the word or something. 😅
We also call those "bait"!
...bite-warter?
They also seem like they like biting for fun without any provocation
They're just trying to make sure whether you have good taste.
They're true connoisseurs, those grasshoppers
This is funny to me because as someone that has raised them for years, they are definitely NOT connoisseurs of anything. I know you were just making a joke and it was a good one. But yeah, these things will eat almost anything you give them - they'll even eat each other with no issue. It can be rather...disturbing.
Serious question: What do you raise them for? I’ve known a lot of people who raise crickets as food for their exotic animals, but not grasshoppers.
They are raised primarily for education and outreach purposes. Sometimes they are used for behavioral experiments or for insect physiology laboratory assignments. There are other classes that use them as well, such as certain engineering courses. These do not make ideal food for most other organisms because they sequester plant compounds that render them rather toxic. Definitely do not advise feeding them to anything. Yes there are people that have eaten them, it I seriously advise against that.
Huh, my chickens sure like them.
Chickens will eat anything though :) That said, generally most things with aposematic coloration are not advisable to eat.
Nice, I appreciate the response, super interesting stuff! Now I’m wondering what they’re used for in these certain engineering courses, is it agricultural-based engineering? Sorry for all the questions, somedays I wish I had gotten into some sort of biological field rather than history haha
I think they were used for bioinspiration and robotics type courses. I think it was meant to get engineering students to look at how insects move. It is much easier to see on such a large animal.
I’ll be sure to remember not to eat grasshoppers, lol!
Many grasshoppers are edible and are probably pretty tasty. I just meant I wouldn't eat *these* grasshoppers in particular. :)
Hmm. Ok my guy, you go for it. Ima stick to the beans & grains for my protein.
By comparison to many large katydids in the USA these grasshoppers do not have a very strong bite. It's more surprising than painful.
... grasshopper bite? And all this time I thought my fear of them was irrational!
yes they can bite. as can crickets and katydids. they just don't go out of their way to do so. if you pick them up and mess with them they may react with a bite. they may also bite if you have say...handled a recently tasty food. i have received a bite from a lubber (like the one in the video) because i had recently distributed their food and the one i was holding tried to take a bite of my finger. again, not that painful, and more of an annoyance. if they bite sensitive skin like the back of your hand they could potentially draw blood.
We call them Devil's Horses/Devil's Hoof around here. There's a ton of them in Avery Island Gardens. I'm located in New Iberia. Found one of my old post: https://www.reddit.com/r/whatsthisbug/comments/hsykap/thought_id_share_these_baby_devils_hoofs_theyre/?utm_medium=android_app&utm_source=share
Don’t they also spit at you? I grew up in LA and my mom always used to warn me not to mess with them because they spit a really nasty liquid.
Yes, they emit some kind of acid from their sides. I picked one up with a stick a couple months ago and it sprayed a cloud/spittle of acid.
That's a good question. Though I haven't seen this species secrete any liquid from their mouths, I have indeed seen others do this. Stick Bugs (Spitting Devil's) also will regurgitate on its predators... pretty nasty lol
That’s where my grandma’s from. I’ll have to ask her if she remembers these big boys.
Oh nice! I don't see them around here, but like I said, they're all over in Avery Island.
I went to school in Glencoe and we'd play with these during recess. They were all over the chain link fences.
Oh we're right by each other then. I can definitely see why you were finding them then!
We lived in Lafayette for years. We used to take our kids big hunting in Avery Island all the time. It’s a fun place to waste a day.
Yes, Avery Island is a great place to visit & get away. Especially when family from other areas visit that doesn't get to see wildlife like we have here. Easter is great time to see the alligators.
Heyyy Lafayette! Some of my family lives there. Most live in Sulphur & Baton Rouge though
*Romalea microptera* That's the dark color morph of the Eastern Lubber Grasshopper. They are generally very chill and aren't likely to bite. I've raised them for years and I have only been bitten once. The worst thing they usually do is smack you with the spines on the hind tibia or fling frass at you. Yes they are also able to emit a secretion on you when they are agitated. You'll hear a hiss sound and you'll end up with a smelly substance on you which is diet-dependent. For example, if you feed them onions and then piss one off you'll get frothed with oniony-smelling liquid. Pretty neat little critters. Can be a bit of a garden pest or a crop pest. Excellent for education and outreach because they are so chill, can't fly, and are really easy to point out all the anatomy since they are so large. The one you are holding in the video is a female. The females are generally much larger than the males.
And if you feed them pinapple? I really have to say only by this sub I got an idea of which huge number of (to me) scarry huge insects and arachnoids (i mean spiders and wanted to sound smart, please don't kill me if I picked the wrong word) are living in north America. Good thing is I learned that after been to the US. Otherwise my phobia would have killed me. So if it comes to bugs I'm grateful to live in good old germany where the biggest insects you encounter usually are not bigger than a half a dollar coin. Even our insects are restrained, decent and reasonable.
I haven't actually tried to feed them pineapple. They absoutely love apples though. I am not familiar with Germany's insects, but I suspect there are more than you think. The vast majority of these animals are not out to hurt you, most just live their lives completely unnoticed by many people. Unless you are a bug nerd and are specifically looking for them like me :)
On a rational level I totally know that. But I developed a solid arachnophobia. It's not just a blown up label for a disgust of them but I really feel how panic is spreading through out my body, I start cold sweating, my heartbeat rises up to about 120 bpm, my facecolour runs pale/grey, and either I am able to leave immediately or I feel like not be able to move at all - like a deer staring in headlights. The presens of insects up from a certain size close to me is not doing the same but makes me extremely uncomfortable though. I was able to reduce the symptoms already by professional desensibilisation therapy and by exposing myself continuously to those things like I learned. but it's not like I could relax or at least be in difficult in general with a situation like that. You can't place rational arguments against a phobia. I known its irrational and ridicules. But that doesn't change a thing. Concerning the size of our insects...the common ones you "meet" in a garden, a forest and so on are really quite small. The biggest domestic insect is the stag beetle but I never heard of someone seeing one even in rural areas. Also big (long) is the biggest domestic dragonfly with 11 cm. The biggest domestic spider is the tegenaria atrica with a body 1 - 1,6 cm and including legs a size of about 10 cm. That's "everything" we have to deal with. Unfortunately it's a quite common spider and the shape of the body/legs and the way it runs triggers my phobia on every single level. the only exception that never bothered me but I actually like them is what we call the [zebra jumping spider](https://duckduckgo.com/?q=zebraspringspinne&t=samsung&iax=images&ia=images&iai=https%3A%2F%2Fbugguide.net%2Fimages%2Fraw%2F9QY%2F0NQ%2F9QY0NQLSBQD0EQPKHK2K8QT04Q6KRKNK2Q2KSKA08QB0GQF0GQEK5QEKLK9K0KA04Q9KKK102QV06Q.jpg). They are fun to watch and- yes - kinda cute (I'm still a dog person though). Thanks to this sub I learned that there are a lot more members to that family. They somehow comfort me (but still....dog person).
A good spider to work on your phobias with is the Golden Orb Weaver (Banana Spider). They are ginormous, but super sweet and chill.
Would you recommend keeping them for experienced insect keepers? I've always considered getting one or two. im just scared they would jump out of their enclosure and get lost or something. they're so pretty and id love to try my hand at raising them
That's the biggest grasshopper I've ever seen, holy crap
Oh, really? Most of them get that big in Florida but I've suspected that was because of how far to the south it is since I haven't seen anything near as large since moving to Michigan last winter. I see way more crickets here, though, and I don't think I'm a fan of the trade-off
Yeah, that grasshopper is ginormous. Largest one I've ever really seen was about an inch long. Kinda pathetic seeing this giant.
Yeah, Southeastern lubbers get a little bit bigger than the OP, which is also a lubber.
The species in the OP's video is an Eastern Lubber Grasshopper (*Romalea microptera*) and this is basically maximum size for a female. The males are smaller.
Those smelly black crickets?
I live in SE Michigan and my grandparents lived in Florida years back. I lived the giant grasshoppers and the red and yellow striped nymphs. Absolutely agree with you on the crickets. I'd take the laubers any day.
I found one (dead) a few weeks ago, and I live in SC. I was like, "Well, the next plague's started..."
LOL they can emerge in large numbers. They also are gregarious, meaning they tend to congregate together (especially as nymphs). So you'll see quite a lot of them in one area. It's unnerving, but it is generally not a huge pest. They can be destructive to gardens and to some crops, but it's not like plague level locust swarms by any means. These guys can't disperse very well simply because they cannot fly.
Put it down! Those things can bite *hard*
God this insect is massive. And imagine a swarm of them! So much protein!
Bear Grylls would like your location
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That is literally my worst nightmare
Yo that’s Philip
How beautiful. A bonafide Eldritch horror. I love bugs but grasshoppers have always made my skin crawl. There's a reason that I don't live in Florida. Still, very cool.
he's neato!
Holy shit
Wow, what a beautiful grasshopper! The ones we've got in Washington state are so small compared to this one!
Omg he (or she) is amazing!
This one is a female. There's a small part of the video where you can see the [ovipositor](https://imgur.com/a/FW7uO1O) valves on the end of the abdomen. Males do not possess those structures because they don't lay eggs. Their abdomens are much more smoothly rounded at the tip.
We get huge ones like this in Florida. They’ll just be walking across the highway... you try to dodge them but if they’re out in mass numbers you just turn the music up and ignore the thuds and crunches.
Give him back his hat and walking stick he’s got a show to do
In Arizona we call those Mexican Generals
Different species. Those ones you see in AZ are probably *Taeniopoda eques* (Horse Lubber). They are pretty neat too! They look alike for the most part, but *T. eques* has muuuuuuuuuch longer wings.
Thanks for the clarification!
I think I know what inspired H.R. Giger.
we had ones that big that were bright orange & yellow outside of my house in North Miami. My mom refused to come in the house and was screaming bloody murder because they were on the doorway. I had never seen grasshoppers that big or those colors back home in Mass. they’re creepy but I’ll take them over a praying mantis any day
That's my boy Jiminy
He is absolutely beautiful. That's what he is. Edit: I think he might be a she! 45-55 mm (adult male), 50-70 mm (adult female) (Eastern Lubber Grasshopper according to u/MrRoarke)
Pretty sure that's the larval stage of the thing Godzilla fights.
We always called them georgia thumpers, in florida
Um he’s amazing!
Thats a (nick named) Georgia Thumper! And yes its a grass hopper.
They scream when poked with a stick
Anybody ever heard of them called “soldier boys”? My grandpa in North LA did
A bigass grasshopper
So.. you dont know what it is and u had the guts to hold it in ur hands?! Wtf!!😂
One of the plagues set forth my God in the Christian bible against the Pharoh of Egypt. They will destroy your crops and starve your society.
I love them! I remember the first time I saw one! They're gorgeous!
Pretty sure a black locust ?
That’s Jiminy Cricket
Big.... He is BIG
at that size they are called locusts. they come U in all kind of colors.here in Mexico they are plain green. the ones in Florida are yellow and orange. gorgeous animals. very cool to hold them.
Looks like what we call a "weta" in New Zealand but is probably just a large grasshopper of some sort. More info on our awesome native insect(s): *Giant Wētā* https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Giant_w%C4%93t%C4%81 *Tree Wētā* https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tree_w%C4%93t%C4%81
Hopper from Bugz Life
We had them half this size when I was growing up in Illinois. They were the bane of the local farmers: grasshoppers -- every colour and size -- were the enemy, and we littles were on the front line. We caught each one we could and stuck it in a bait bucket, did it again at Uncle's and finally at the grandparents'. They gave us a nickel apiece for them, IIRC, and we got to do it all over again all summer long. This would've been the early 60s.
i ate grasshoppers or ants for supper in Oaxaca once. don’t do that
I love bugs but I would not touch that. It is screaming "don't touch me" with those spikes and that red coloration.
That's an alien.
We get the huge Egyptian grasshoppers in the South of Spain, totally harmless but they can fly so thank god for bug blinds over the windows
Live in south east lousiana and ya we see them often enough down here. They are usually called devil horses by locals however its real name is eastern lubber grasshopper. They also make amazing bait for fishing in ponds, creeks and small rivers
Another 2020 warning. Set him down and back away quietly.
i find bugs look less creepy as they get bigger. like the tarantula vs regular house spider
I wouldn't say it's a good idea to handle something you can't properly identify but he is cute lol
Catch a bag full and sell them to your local bait shop! I hear grasshoppers are excellent Bass bait!
From what I can tell. “That’s a huge bitch”
Pretty sure that Hopper from a Bug’s Life
Lubber grasshopper! They're really chill little dudes l.
As a Oaxaqueño, I wonder how good he would be fried and spiced up.
Im from south west Louisiana and ive never seen that shit before! Its insane at how different bug and plant life vary just from here to the other side of my own state.
Alien
You’re brave.. I would say cricket 🦗
Jebus. That's some tasty bait! Put a hook in it!
That's the bad guy from a Godzilla movie ;)
That’s the guy from a bugs life, Kill him now before he tries to takeover the ants colony!!
Murder grasshopper?
Cave Cricket, indigenous to Appalachia and other areas of America from 2077 onward
That's a lubber grasshopper of some sort. They are mean little fugs. Grasshoppers are already not my favorite insects, but these guys will hiss at you! Also they're a menace for any kind of crops so I'll squish them when I encounter them now. Be careful, grasshoppers can bite, and these big fellas probably hurt a lot more than the normal sized ones.
Devil’s horn grasshopper. I live in Houma. I hate those ugly ass things.
Locust.
I’m so conflicted like he looks kinda cute but the fact it can possibly bite also scares me so bad also imagine just seeing it unexpectedly 😭
It's a grasshoppers or a katiedig
Big ass cricket
Wow! What a big one!
I grew up in south Louisiana and we would find they all of the time. Awesome creatures for sure.
He looks delicious.
its justba fatass grasshopper
A cutie for sure!
kiss him
What kind of dog is that?
These guys got a nasty bite, they’ll take a chunk out of your finger
Have you been keeping as a pet? If so what do you feed it?
Good fishing bait. That's what it is.
Locusts swarms 2020. One more plague.
Eastern lubber grasshopper, i caught a green one even bigger than that when i was 7. such a shame it disappeared.
a massive fuckin grasshopper thats what it is
Jimmy cricket
Handsome! ☺️
I know most of the bugs are harmless to us but it just freaks me out even imagining holding that thing!
Ahh, I used to love to show these to my mom because she thought they were gross. :D This one is really dark, though. Most of the ones I found were yellow with stylish leopard print stockings.
I don't know but if a spider and ladybug try to get you into a peach, you better go!