the.com/grasshopper
a creature that hears through its abdomen and spits brown to scare off enemies.
means A jumping plant-eating insect with long powerful back legs, known for leaping through grass and producing a chirping sound.
from A plain English compound, hiding in plain sight: 'grass' plus 'hopper,' the thing that hops in the grass. The word goes back to Old English 'gærshoppa,' built from the same logical parts our ancestors saw springing underfoot. English has long had a fondness for naming creatures by what they obviously do — and few names are as honest as this one.
- jump power
- clears 20 times its own body length
- ancient ears
- hearing organs sit on the belly
- defensive spit
- oozes brown liquid called tobacco juice
- swarm mode
- crowding turns them into devastating locusts
- leg music
- chirps by rubbing legs against wings
lubber grasshopper — large flightless species found across southeastern united states, known for swarming in massive numbers
desert locust — gregarious grasshopper species that forms swarms affecting 20+ countries across africa, middle east, and asia
katydid — long-horned grasshopper family found worldwide, produces loud chirping sounds at night in temperate forests