They’re actually the same animal as crickets! Sorta! It’s really strange but when I a big group crickets will become locusts after a generation or so and in smaller groups vice versa.
At least where I’m from, locusts in their non-swarm phase are called grasshoppers, which are distinct from the smaller and softer crickets. Although I have rarely heard cricket/grasshopper be used interchangeably in some regions.
They’re actually the same animal as crickets! Sorta! It’s really strange but when I a big group crickets will become locusts after a generation or so and in smaller groups vice versa.
Crickets are different from grasshoppers, they’re in the same order but different families. Grasshoppers are the ones that turn into locusts.
Typically you can buy crickets from the Acheta or Gryllodes genus pretty easily, the ones for this prank probably cost around $70-100.
At least where I’m from, locusts in their non-swarm phase are called grasshoppers, which are distinct from the smaller and softer crickets. Although I have rarely heard cricket/grasshopper be used interchangeably in some regions.
I got crickets and grasshoppers mixed up
In Finnish, the word “sirkka” is applied to a variety of insects in the order Orthoptera (crickets, grasshoppers, locusts and katydids)
“Sirkka” on its own means cricket
“Heinäsirkka,” (lit. hay/grass cricket) = grasshopper
“Kulkusirkka,” (lit. wandering cricket) = locust
On the other hand, we call katydids horse cats
Horse cats is amazing
The resemblance is uncanny