Grasshopper Anatomy
All You Need to Know about Grasshopper Anatomy
If you are interested in insects, grasshopper anatomy is one area you will find especially intriguing. There are two types of grasshoppers, short-horned grasshoppers that have short antennae, and long-horned, that have long antennae.
The grasshopper body has three parts – the abdomen, the thorax and the head. They have a hard shell that covers their body; it is called an exoskeleton. From the grasshopper's head grow two feelers or antennae. One of the most interesting parts of grasshopper anatomy is their five eyes. They can see frontwards, sideways and behind themselves.
Grasshoppers have six legs, and strong leg muscles. The longer hind legs are used for jumping. The front legs, which are shorter, are used for walking and for holding prey. Most of the species have two pairs of wings. The sound we hear from the grasshopper, used to attract females, is made when the male rubs a wing with one of his legs.
Grasshopper anatomy includes spiracles, which are holes along the sides of the thorax and abdomen. This is how grasshoppers breathe. They also have mouth parts for chewing, and fore wings that are called tegmina.
The grasshopper's head is a hardened capsule with large muscles to operate its chewing mouth parts. The head also encloses the brain and the subesophageal ganglion, which are the main parts of the grasshopper's nervous system. The capsule of the head is divided into areas by ridges and sutures, or by location. The top of the head called the vertex is located between the compound eyes.
The thorax is the part of the grasshopper anatomy that gives it its locomotion. It is a rather stout and box-like structure that has three segments fused together to create it. Each of these segments holds a pair of legs. Some of the species have full wings, and some have small pads, or no wings at all.
The three pairs of legs are basically made of the same type of parts, but the hind pair is especially suited for jumping. They are much larger than the first two pairs of legs.
Grasshopper anatomy includes two pairs of wings that differ in function, structure and shape. The front wings are narrow, and the hind pair are shaped like fans. The larger hind wings contribute three times as much to the ability to fly as the front wings do.
The grasshopper abdomen has eleven segments. Most of them are ring-like in appearance, and each is separated from the rest by thin membranes. These membranes allow the abdomen to be very flexible, which is vital to breathing and copulation.
Together, all these parts make up the grasshopper, an interesting creature that is often considered a pest.