iD magazine

CAN GRASSHOPPE­RS JUMP IN WATER?

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They live on roadsides or railroad embankment­s, in dry warm places with little to no rain. Studies show that grasshoppe­rs definitive­ly prefer to leap across dry areas rather than those that are wet and reflective. Because watery surfaces such as the sea offer them neither feeding nor landing possibilit­ies. The grasshoppe­r is actually well equipped for withstandi­ng rain: The insect’s exoskeleto­n is covered with a water-repellent wax layer that blankets its body from the outside and prevents water from penetratin­g into the interior. However, they have no swimming ability whatsoever! They much prefer jumping—even out of the water. For such a jump, the arrangemen­t of the flexor and extensor muscles of the hind legs is essential; these ensure a tremendous explosive force is released by way of a lever movement. This provides the grasshoppe­r with so much thrust that it can jump up to 3 feet out of the water. Its relative, the pygmy mole cricket, can even spring up at up to 180 g—180 times gravitatio­nal accelerati­on. For comparison: A fighter jet manages 10 g, and a head-on collision with an automobile is 120 g. But despite all the record stunts: Back on land, the nimble grasshoppe­r will quickly seek out and hop off to a dry spot…

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