Download ArticleDownload ArticleX
This article was co-authored by Shweta Sharma and by How.com.vn staff writer, Hunter Rising. Shweta Sharma is a Biologist with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). With nearly ten years of experience, she specializes in insect management, integrated pest management, insect behavior, resistance management, ecology, and biological control. She earned her PhD in Urban Entomology and her MS in Environmental Horticulture from the University of Florida. She also holds a BS in Agriculture from the Institute of Agriculture and Animal Sciences, Nepal.
How.com.vn marks an article as reader-approved once it receives enough positive feedback. In this case, 100% of readers who voted found the article helpful, earning it our reader-approved status.
This article has been viewed 146,571 times.
Understanding the sex of a grasshopper is important if you’re performing research or a dissection. Even though grasshoppers don’t look physically different at a glance, you can still easily identify whether you have a male or female insect. By checking their abdomen and watching their behavior, you can figure out what grasshopper you have!
Steps
Hold the grasshopper in the middle of its body between your fingers. Pick up the grasshopper gently so you have a firm grip. The grasshopper may try to get away while you pick it up. Don’t squeeze too hard or else you may hurt the grasshopper.[1]- Grasshoppers may bite, but it’s very uncommon. It also may regurgitate its stomach as a defense mechanism, but it isn’t harmful to humans.[2]
Squeeze softly on the grasshopper’s abdomen. Grab the rear of the grasshopper between your thumb and forefinger. Slightly pinch the abdomen so the grasshopper’s sexual organs are revealed.[3]- Squeezing too hard will hurt the grasshopper.
Advertisement
Identify a male grasshopper by a rounded abdomen. Looking at the grasshopper's abdomen is the most definitive way to determine its sex. A rounded, upturned abdomen indicates the grasshopper is a male.[4]
Note that a female grasshopper has a tapered abdomen. A female grasshopper's abdomen looks like a tube. This tube is known as the ovipositor, which the female uses to lay its eggs.[5]
Advertisement
Recognize that female grasshoppers are larger than males. If you are looking at a particular grasshopper in a large group, look at how large it is compared to others of its species. If your grasshopper is larger than the others, it’s most likely a female. If not, then it’s likely that you have a male.[6]- Don’t judge the sex of the grasshopper solely on its appearance since it will not be the most accurate.
Identify male grasshoppers by their aggressive behavior. Look to see if the grasshopper is kicking or biting others of its species. When grasshoppers prepare to mate, the males will become more aggressive with one another while they search for females.[7]- Behavior and temperament depends on the grasshopper species. Some may be more aggressive while others will not.
Look for males mounting females when they mate. When grasshoppers mate, they will climb on top of the females to deposit their sperm so the females can lay eggs. If you see a smaller grasshopper on top of a larger grasshopper, the smaller one is likely a male.[8]- Sometimes, males will mount other males if they are fighting.
Spot a female grasshopper if you notice it laying eggs. Check if the grasshopper is sticking its abdomen, or lower body, into the ground. Females lay their eggs underground, so look for grasshoppers digging in the ground or staying still when you approach them.[9]- Female grasshoppers lay eggs throughout the summer and autumn.
Advertisement
Community Q&A
Search
- QuestionDo grasshoppers have a season that they mate I want to breed them?
How.com.vn Staff EditorThis answer was written by one of our trained team of researchers who validated it for accuracy and comprehensiveness.
Staff AnswerHow.com.vn Staff EditorStaff AnswerGrasshoppers tend to mate throughout the summer months and into early autumn. - QuestionMy grasshopper has a black stinger-looking thing. What could this be?How.com.vn Staff EditorThis answer was written by one of our trained team of researchers who validated it for accuracy and comprehensiveness.
Staff AnswerHow.com.vn Staff EditorStaff AnswerThese may be the tips of the ovipositor on a female grasshopper. These are used to help the female dig in the ground to lay her eggs. - QuestionHow long do grasshoppers live?
Community AnswerGrasshoppers will generally live about one year.
Ask a Question
200 characters left
Include your email address to get a message when this question is answered.
SubmitAdvertisement
Tips
- Checking the grasshopper’s abdomen anatomy is the only way to be sure of its sex.Thanks
Tips from our Readers 
The advice in this section is based on the lived experiences of How.com.vn readers like you. If you have a helpful tip you’d like to share on How.com.vn, please submit it in the field below.
- Do not be afraid if you see brown stuff oozing out your grasshopper's mouth. When a grasshopper is afraid, brown liquid will ooze out of its mouth to scare predators. It's a defense mechanism. It won't hurt you if it gets on your hands, but make sure to wash it off.
- If you need to catch a grasshopper and don't have a bug net, sneak behind the grasshopper and quickly cup your hands around it's body. If you're not sure whether you've caught it, hold still and wait until you feel it jump.
- Like people and animals, grasshoppers can get stressed. Try not to mess with it too much, whether you're just trying to determine its sex or otherwise.
- Do not put grasshoppers in a netted terrarium. They will eat their way out of the cage.
Submit a Tip
All tip submissions are carefully reviewed before being published
Thanks for submitting a tip for review!
Advertisement
Warnings
- Don’t squeeze grasshoppers too hard or else you could damage them.Thanks
Advertisement
Expert Interview
Thanks for reading our article! If you'd like to learn more about grasshoppers, check out our in-depth interview with Shweta Sharma.
References
- ↑ https://www.biologyjunction.com/grasshopper_dissection.htm
- ↑ https://extension.psu.edu/questions-and-answers-about-caterpillars-and-grasshoppers
- ↑ https://www.biologyjunction.com/grasshopper_dissection.htm
- ↑ https://www.biologyjunction.com/grasshopper_dissection.htm
- ↑ https://www.biologyjunction.com/grasshopper_dissection.htm
- ↑ http://www.wyomingextension.org/agpubs/pubs/B1161.pdf
- ↑ https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3498212/
- ↑ https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3498212/
- ↑ https://youtu.be/jDnFleTAlZk?t=3s
About This Article
Biologist
This article was co-authored by Shweta Sharma and by How.com.vn staff writer, Hunter Rising. Shweta Sharma is a Biologist with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). With nearly ten years of experience, she specializes in insect management, integrated pest management, insect behavior, resistance management, ecology, and biological control. She earned her PhD in Urban Entomology and her MS in Environmental Horticulture from the University of Florida. She also holds a BS in Agriculture from the Institute of Agriculture and Animal Sciences, Nepal. This article has been viewed 146,571 times.
Co-authors: 23
Updated: January 10, 2023
Views: 146,571
Categories: Bugs
Thanks to all authors for creating a page that has been read 146,571 times.
Reader Success Stories
"The most friendly thing to catching grasshoppers was the info bit on the use of a yellow fleece fabric laid in between the grass blades to camouflage it. Then sprinkling a small amount of sugar on to it and stirring up the grass to catch them on it."..." more
Did this article help you?
⚠️ Disclaimer:
Content from Wiki How English language website. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike License; additional terms may apply.
Wiki How does not encourage the violation of any laws, and cannot be responsible for any violations of such laws, should you link to this domain, or use, reproduce, or republish the information contained herein.
- - A few of these subjects are frequently censored by educational, governmental, corporate, parental and other filtering schemes.
- - Some articles may contain names, images, artworks or descriptions of events that some cultures restrict access to
- - Please note: Wiki How does not give you opinion about the law, or advice about medical. If you need specific advice (for example, medical, legal, financial or risk management), please seek a professional who is licensed or knowledgeable in that area.
- - Readers should not judge the importance of topics based on their coverage on Wiki How, nor think a topic is important just because it is the subject of a Wiki article.
Advertisement
