What Are Grasshopper Adaptations?
Grasshoppers rarely stay put for long; thanks to their large wings and powerful hind legs, they can escape the grasp of predators and travel great distances in short periods of time. Grasshoppers have some of the strongest legs of all insects in the world, which come in handy when they need to move quickly. They also have large wings that facilitate travel and long, sensitive antennae that help them seek out food and navigate through various environments.
The hind legs of grasshoppers give them the ability to jump nearly 1 meter at a time, which is roughly 30 times their body lengths. The equivalent to that feat is the average human covering a half-length football field in one jump. Grasshoppers do have the ability to walk with their short, stubby front legs and large hind legs, but they walk slowly and travel much more quickly jumping and flying. Grasshoppers are equipped with a large, broad pair of flat and colorless wings, which gives them the ability to lift off the ground at a moment’s notice and launch high into the air. Once airborne, grasshoppers can use their long antennae to sense and smell food from quite a distance away. Their antennae also enable grasshoppers to sense moisture, which is critical for insects living in dry and arid desert climates.
