← back to grid
Eastern Lubber Grasshopper

uncommon

Eastern Lubber Grasshopper

Romalea microptera

Habitat
Southeastern United States, pine and palmetto scrub
Body length
75 mm
Order
Orthoptera · Romaleidae

Weird but real

Too heavy to fly. Toxic to most predators. When threatened, hisses loudly and spits irritant foam from its thorax. Stomps slowly because it can.

Why it's cool

Yellow-and-black tank that knows it's untouchable. Walks around the Florida swamps with the confidence of something that has never been afraid of anything.

Photographs

Eastern Lubber Grasshopper - Romalea microptera, Anhinga Trail, Everglades National Park, Homestead, Florida.
Judy Gallagher · CC BY 2.0 · source
Romalea Microptera - Lubber Grasshopper, taken at the San Diego Zoo
Issac I Navarro · CC0 · source