Are Grasshoppers And Crickets The Same?

No, they are not the same, though they have a number of similarities. They come from the same order of insects (Orthoptera), but they belong to different families. Crickets are part of the Gryllidae family, which is smaller (comprising of only 2,000 members), whereas grasshoppers are members of the larger Acrididae family, which boasts of a 4,000-strong membership. Both, however, have a tough set of exterior wings which hide their second set of wings, which open out much the same way as a folding fan. They both are predominantly plant-eating insects and use their long, thin rear legs for jumping.

It is the female grasshopper and the male cricket that do most of the chirping while trying to attract the attention of a potential mate. The mating calls of both are different in the sense that the cricket presses a kind of scraper located on its front wings using a kind of teeth-like appendage located on its opposite front wing, moving it back and forth, whereas the grasshopper creates a kind of friction between its spiky hind legs, tough front wings and the other parts of its body. The female grasshopper lays about twenty eggs at a time and deposits them in the earth, whereas the female cricket lays a single egg and deposits it either in the earth or in tiny splits in the stem of a plant. Both the insects are herbivorous and are considered pests as they enter the field in a swarm and can destroy an entire crop at one go.