Saturday, June 23, 2007

Jerusalem Cricket

I found this "cricket" while doing the chores this morning -- it was hopping around on the concrete floor of our patio, looking very lost. The common name for it here is "Jerusalem Cricket"; this particular one is (I think) a Stenopelmatus fuscus, one of several closely related species that are common here. We've seen them many times, especially if we're digging -- these things live most of their life underground. The little guy running around on our patio was probably trying to find some ground he could dig into!

There are all sorts of myths about this creature -- read here, here, and here for more details. In fact they are quite harmless, non-venomous; the worst they can do is give you a good pinch or bite with their strong jaws, and some species can emit a foul stench. But they won't really hurt you...

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