Ant (Aphaenogaster) carrying young crab spider (Thomisidae) as prey back to nest

Camel crickets, despite their name, are related to katydids rather than crickets. But unlike their cousins that sing to attract mates, camel crickets are largely silent. Instead they likely use smells and vibrations to communicate. Although, much of this is speculation, since the behavior of most species remains a mystery! American Bird Grasshopper Banded Pennant…

Melanotus is a genus of click beetles in the family Elateridae. There are at least 30 described species in Melanotus. They are famous for the noise they make when they need to make a hasty escape from a predator. A stiff spine on the anterior (belly) side of the beetle snaps with great force, propelling…

Something comical about other animals experiencing the struggles of our human lives. Here a collared ant is dragging a dead carpenter ant back to its nest, when the claws of the dead ant get stuck on the bark. There’s something cathartic and endearing about the ensuing struggle. American Bird Grasshopper Banded Pennant Forcepfly (Merope tuber)…

The American Bird Grasshopper is native to North America, where it occurs in the eastern United States, Mexico, and the Bahamas. Occasional, localized outbreaks of this grasshopper occur, and it is often referred to as a locust, though it lacks the true swarming form of its congener, the desert locust. The adult male of the…