Oh, no one said that?
Well, insects really aren't my thing, but I've learned that, just like how in the dating world there's someone for everyone out there, there is a person for every species. If Tarantulas or snakes or alligators make your skin crawl, there are all kinds of folks who prefer them to the furry sweet faced kittens and puppies you adore. And I imagine that goes for insects as well...
I can't speak for the textbook definition of the hierarchical scale, but I kind of think of insects as being at the far edge --- I won't say the bottom, as who am I to judge. They are, after all, living things. They may be smaller than the smallest animals, but they certainly are way above plants, as living things go.
I dearly hope you're getting that this is all quite tongue in cheek. Any one of my zoo friends who actually went to school for all of this would be moaning at my botched attempt at humor and could probably set me straight in an instant.
I got an appreciation for grasshoppers when I was sitting in our rental car in the hills near Boulder, CO and noticed this fella sitting on the wiper, checking me out.
Being a former stylist, I admired his monochromatic theme. When I zoomed in with my HD camera, I saw that even his eyes matched the rest of him.
He looks like he's prehistoric, and like he's wearing a coat of armor. And he's damn big as grasshoppers go (at least where I grew up with them, which was in a suburb near Chicago). I thought for all those reasons, he was pretty cool.
I do wonder if he is something else, as he doesn't quite exhibit the big back legs that allow for the "hop" part.... They look more like wings, but maybe his back legs are hidden? I did some research but could not come up with anything definitive. CLICK HERE to see a bit of what I found.
But maybe if you're one of those people who loves insects, dear readers, you can set me straight on this one... Does anyone know what this elegant guy is?
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9 comments:
I do think that is a grasshopper and those legs are hidden.
I really dislike grasshoppers. They do tremendous plant damage and they hop far and fast. They scare me when I come upon them, which I do all too often. Maybe I'll take a picture next time... or maybe not.
My husband thinks it's a locust. I'm off to go look if he's right.
Back again. It's a grasshopper. In the first picture you can see the foot of his third (hopping) leg and the rest of it is hidden up inside that wing.
He appears to be damaged and missing his hopping leg in the second picture. There's a nub where the leg would be and you see only his front two legs.
Grasshoppers can live without that leg but they can't really hop according to the sources I researched. They are then prey for cats and such that might catch them.
By the way, my cat brought one into me a week or so ago. I was not amused!
it is a locust here,but i still respect its existence on earth.
I know what he is Sydney: UGLY!
Sorry, just going along with your tongue in cheek theme. I could not resist!
I'll tell you this much he would be an excellent meal for Harry, my son's Bearded Dragon.
Thank you Laurie -- I thought so too but now that LOLIT mentions it, it may be a locust. Now I need to look that up.
Lolit- thank you so much for stopping by, I hope you come often!
Donna -- just a big LOL for you!
Missed this one Sydney. Looks like an overgrown grasshopper to me. Now Laurie has me feeling sorry for it because she thinks it's lost one of its legs and now food for whoever wants it. Doesn't look very tasty to me, but... Poor thing!
a Locast?
He's from "A Bugs Life!"
(Gotta love that movie!)
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