How Do Crickets And Grasshoppers Attract Mates?

Crickets and grasshoppers use sound to attract mates. It is the males who do the singing and each species has its own signature tune. Crickets have quite a few clever tricks. They often find an empty can or bottle to sit it when they chirp, because this amplifies their song. And, when a predator threatens them, they can 'throw' their voice, making a sound that seems to be coming from somewhere else. This usually fools the hunter.

Crickets and grasshoppers need good 'ears' to deal with all the different songs that fill the air at dusk. The hearing organs are inside the body, in the first abdominal segment. Two breathing holes in the sides of the thorax allows sound to get in to reach them. The hearing organs themselves are sacs covered with a drum-like skin. Sound vibrations that come through the breathing tubes cause this skin to vibrate. This amplifies the sound and the vibrations are picked up by the animal's central nervous system.