Difference Between Crickets and Grasshoppers

Crickets vs Grasshoppers

Most people get confused with the differences between grasshoppers and crickets. Though the two insects look similar, they have many differences.

Grasshoppers and crickets belong to the same Orthoptera order, and they belong to different suborders. While grasshoppers belong to the suborder Caeliferans, and the cricket belongs to the suborder Ensifera.

While a grasshopper is a diurnal insect, crickets are nocturnal insects. This means that grasshoppers go out in the daylight and crickets go out during the nighttime.

In terms of size, a grasshopper is larger than a cricket. Concerning colours, the grasshopper comes in colours of: neutral, green, grey, or light brown. On the other hand, crickets come in bright or dark colours.

While grasshoppers can fly and jump, crickets just only jump. Only some cricket species fly.
Another distinctive difference between grasshoppers and crickets is that the latter comes with longer antennae.

Though both grasshoppers and crickets do make chirping sounds, they produce the sounds from different places. The cricket makes the chirping sound by rubbing their wings. To be more specific, the crickets rub the top of one wing along the teeth at the bottom side of the other wing. Only the male crickets produce the sound. But the grasshopper produces the chirping sounds by rubbing the hind legs with the wings. Grasshoppers then catch the sound through little ears which are situated on the base of the abdomen. In crickets, the sound-catching organ is situated on the front legs.

The grasshopper is herbivorous while crickets are predatory, herbivorous, and omnivorous.
It is said that there are about 900 cricket species and about 8,000 grasshopper species.

Summary:

1. Grasshoppers belong to the suborder Caeliferans, and crickets belongs to the suborder Ensifera.
2. Grasshoppers are larger than crickets.
3. While a grasshopper is a diurnal insect, crickets are nocturnal insects.
4. Grasshoppers come in the colours of: neutral, green, grey, or light brown. On the other hand, crickets come in bright or dark colours.
5. Crickets have longer antennae than the grasshopper.
6. The cricket makes the chirping sound by rubbing their wings, but the grasshopper produces the chirping sounds by rubbing the hind legs with the wings.
7. The grasshopper is herbivorous while crickets are predatory, herbivorous, and omnivorous.
8. Grasshoppers catch sound through little ears which are situated on the base of the abdomen. In crickets, the sound-catching organ is situated on the front legs.

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