Crickets vs Grasshoppers: 9 Main Differences Revealed

Size is the most significant difference between these two insects. An adult grasshopper is larger than an adult cricket. In terms of color, the average grasshopper is green while crickets are black or brown. These insects have different eating habits. Crickets are omnivores whereas grasshoppers are herbivores. While both insects make noise, they each create sound in a different way.

Do both insects have wings? Which insect can jump farther? Are they both active at the same time of day? Learn the answers to your questions about crickets vs grasshoppers along with other intriguing facts about these tiny jumping insects!

Comparing Crickets vs Grasshoppers

The 9 Key Differences Between Crickets vs Grasshoppers

1. Length

Crickets can be as long as two inches or as short as three-eighths of an inch depending on their species. Alternatively, some species of grasshopper grow to a length of 4.5 inches while others measure just half an inch. Generally speaking, crickets are smaller than grasshoppers.

2. Color

Crickets are usually black or dark brown. However, there are some crickets that are green like the Great green bush cricket. Usually, grasshoppers are green. Some of them are brown or green with brown markings. The spur-throated grasshopper is one of the most common species in North America. It’s bright green with brown on its wings.

3. Sound

While both insects make a high-pitched chirping sound, they do it in different ways. Both insects have wings and use them in making a chirping noise. Crickets chirp by rubbing their wings together. Alternatively, a grasshopper makes a chirping sound by rubbing one of its hind legs against the front part of its wing.

Males make a chirping sound to attract female crickets. This is true for male grasshoppers as well. However, there’s a difference. Female grasshoppers can chirp, but they don’t do it as much as males. Female crickets aren’t able to make a chirping noise.

4. Diet

Crickets are omnivores. They eat aphids, bug larvae, seeds, grass, fruit, and flowers. Grasshoppers are herbivores eating plant stems, flowers, and seeds.

5. Activity Period

These two insects are active at different times. Grasshoppers can be seen outside jumping and moving around during the day. They are out looking for flowers and stems to eat. Crickets sleep during the day and are active at night. So, if you hear chirping somewhere in your room or home at night, it’s most likely a cricket!

6. Antennae

While antennae are part of the anatomy of both crickets and grasshoppers, there is a basic difference. A cricket’s antennae are long. In many cases, a cricket’s antennae are just as long as its body. Look at a grasshopper’s antennae and you’ll notice they are stubby and short.

In addition to using their antennae as ‘feelers’ to navigate their surroundings, crickets use them to fight. Two males fight for a female by pressing their antennae together as well as biting one another. At the end of the fight, the most powerful male mates with the female.

7. Lifespan

A grasshopper’s lifespan goes up to 12 months. A cricket’s average lifespan is 8-10 weeks. Of course, the typical lifespan of each of these insects depends on its species.

8. Species

When it comes to the types of species, grasshoppers far outnumber crickets. There are over 11,000 species of grasshopper. Scientists believe there are many more types of grasshoppers around the world that haven’t been discovered yet! As for crickets, there are over 2,400 species in existence. Both of these insects live throughout the world except in Antarctica.

9. Jumping Distance

Both grasshoppers and crickets can jump a long distance. This is especially impressive if you consider how little they are. But which one can jump the farthest? The winner is the cricket! A cricket is able to jump 3 feet while a grasshopper can jump a distance of 2.6 feet.

Here is a Summary of the Key Differences between the Cricket and the Grasshopper: