Cricket vs. Grasshopper: What's the difference?

Difference between Cricket and Grasshopper

Most of those who spend time outside during the spring and the summer months are going to come across a cricket or a grasshopper or both. However, many people confuse these two bugs for one another, when they are far from being similar to each other. The difference between these bugs includes the layout of their bodies, the time of day in which they are active, and their eating habits.

Photo by gbohne	Photo by Tomatoskin

Layout Of Body

The way each of these creatures looks is somewhat similar in a general sense but is completely simple to identify once the person knows what to look for. The cricket will present a long antenna, with their auditory organs on their forelegs. They are also going to be dark in color, many times a dark brown or black. On the other hand, grasshoppers are going to have short antenna, with the auditory organs on the abdomen, they are also going to be colored in hues of green that blend in with grass and tree leaves in their environment, making them harder to see for predators.

Time Of Day In Which Active

The biggest difference between the two is the time of day that each is active. Crickets, with their dark colorations are going to be moving around at night when they blend in with nighttime shadows. On rare occasions you may see one during the day, however, usually during the day they are nowhere to be found. This is why many people hear crickets only at night. The grasshopper is the exact opposite, they are going to be out during the day. The reason is that they are able to camouflage in better with the bright sunny greens in the area where they are staying, which is usually high up in the trees.

Eating Habits

The two have very different eating habits. The cricket is considered to be a herbivorous, predatory and omnivorous creature. Meaning that the cricket eats other bugs, grass, and basically anything that seems appealing. On the other hand, the grasshopper is strictly herbivorous which means that it is going to stick to plants and flowers. Many people find that grasshoppers tend to stick to the gardens where they can find food. Crickets will eat pretty much anything that can be found in its habitat, such hanging out near the house eating spiders or flies.

Summary

Crickets and grasshoppers are completely different bugs. And for this reason they should not be confused for each other:

• The cricket has a long antenna, with their auditory organs on their legs, which are rubbed together to make their sound.
• Grasshoppers have short antennas, with their auditory organs on the abdomen. They do make a sound however, it is nothing compared to the sound that crickets make.
• Crickets are dark in color, such as brown or black.
• Grasshoppers are light in color and are usually green.
• Grasshoppers are around during the day in which they blend in better.
• Crickets stay out at night because they blend in with their surroundings better.
• The cricket is going to eat basically anything, including plants, seeds and other bugs.
• The grasshopper is going to stick to a diet that consists of plants and seeds.