Insects in this group are best known for their singing and jumping ability. Their sounds are heard both day and night all over the world. Crickets sing by rubbing their wings together. Grasshoppers sing by rubbing a wing against a leg. It is usually the males that do the singing, and they do it to attract females and guard territory from other males.

Top left: A closeup of a lubber grasshopper. A face only an entomologist could love.

Bottom left: A brown katydid shows how well it can look like a dead leaf.
Remember our home page? Featured on that page is a pink katydid. This species is almost always green, but this is the rare pink color morph. The reasons for this polymorphism are not fully understood.