Cricket Facts
A Few Interesting Cricket Facts
First on the subject of cricket facts, we must mention that these little guys have been a monument for good luck and happiness in countless cultures since the beginning of mankind. They are eaten gladly by the native peoples of Asia and Africa, though we here to the west have a bit harder time imagining those sticklike legs and oozing innards touching our mouths. They dip them in chocolate, sauté them with herbs, or simple crunch them live and whole. What is the draw to these crunchy little critters? Why, they are plentiful, of course, and regarded as an all around nutritious gift sent from the earth. An easy meal, if you will, which basically shows up with little effort on the part of the consumer.
When dealing with cricket, facts regarding their habits and preferred environments are of great importance. They are of the same family as grasshoppers and katydids, making up the smallest number of species in the family. 9,000 insects make up this family, and about 1,000 of them are actually crickets. The cricket facts regarding most of them are generally the same, as far as eating and habitat requirements go. Most crickets are nocturnal and need a great deal of moisture in order to sustain and to breed. Field and gray crickets are a couple of exceptions to this general rule, though these types can’t live without soil and water either.
Some cricket facts may surprise you a little bit, especially as far as folklore is concerned. Crickets have been a sign of good fortune to many cultures through the centuries, and our modern western culture is no different. Most people don’t hunt down the crickets who wander into their homes and chirp in order to kill them and shut them up, but rather to save him from a sad fate of starvation. The run of the mill cricket has no food sources within your house, and has probably been trapped there either by accident, or because he was seeking temporary shelter from extreme weather conditions. He can’t find his way out, and he can’t breed, so he will need your help if he intends to survive this accidental imprisonment.
When it comes to the cricket, facts about his noise making abilities seem to stump many folks. In most cases, the cricket produces three or four different calls, all by rubbing their legs against each other or against the abdomen. Some types of crickets merely drum out a slow tempo; others make sounds which are inaudible to humans. These low or high vibrations are meant to carry far off into the distance, attracting mates and signaling communications that we aren’t supposed to understand.