[MichaelColey]

We found this bug on our back porch tonight. I've never seen anything like it. The front of it looks a little like a crab or a lobster. The picture doesn't really do it justice. The front legs are like claws and are considerably larger than the other legs. The middle looks similar to a grasshopper. The tail is thin and split, like a centipede and many other bugs. It's about an inch or an inch and a half long, and is fairly aggressive for a bug. Anyone have any idea what it is?

http://forum.abestweb.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=1829

[Trust]

Crabhopper.

[Snib]

Crabhopper.

LOL

Anyway, I think it's a Mole Cricket:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mole_cricket

I've never seen one or even heard of them, but this is what I could find on Google.

- Scott

[bpal]

I'm with mole cricket... not uncommon in FL.

[Anne]

imagine waking up with a few of those in your bed, eek!

[MichaelColey]

That's it! Thanks!

Do you mind telling what you searched for? I tried quite a few search terms (both in Google, Yahoo, and the their respective image searches) before I gave up and posted.

[bpal]

Maybe they are migrating to Texas. It would be nice if the love bugs would follow... anyone who lives in FL knows what I mean.

[Drewbert]

Holy crap that's ugly!

>"Common predators of mole crickets include birds, rats, skunks, armadillos, raccoons and foxes."

Yikes! The first time I read that I though, sheesh, those nasty looking critters eat FOXES! Then I figured out my error. :)

[bpal]

Holy crap that's ugly!

>"Common predators of mole crickets include birds, rats, skunks, armadillos, raccoons and foxes."

Yikes! The first time I read that I though, sheesh, those nasty looking critters eat FOXES! Then I figured out my error. :)

Lol, that's funny!

[Rhea]

Whenever you have a plant or animal that you don't recognize and want to identify the easiest thing to do is go online and look for a "dichotomous key." Some nice biologist somewhere has made one for every conceivable situation, like ferns, mosses, water lilies, box turtles and insects. Frequently they're oriented geographically so be careful you're not searching through one for Great Britain when you live in Mexico.

"Dichotomous" means "two-way", or a fork-in-the-road. A dichotomous key is a tool used to distinguish the differences among a set of similar objects like trees, insects or car tires. The key separates these objects into categories based on physical characteristics. It's a process of elimination that requires careful observation and possibly the learning of some basic terminology. A dichotomous key is a lot like a computer program. For every question posed by the key there are only two possible outcomes. Each answer you provide leads you down a different path which should culminate in the correct answer, providing you've supplied accurate answers along the way.

[bpal]

Rhea, I'm not sure which is more interesting... that paragraph, or how well you wrote it.

[Anne]

Rhea, I'm not sure which is more interesting... that paragraph, or how well you wrote it.

Clearly a discombobulating moment for someone who obviously finds women intellectually inferior.

[spacedog]

Clearly a discombobulating moment for someone who obviously finds women intellectually inferior.
:eyepoppin Oh, snap!

I was just going to say that is some badass cool looking bug. And it burrows, walks, swims AND flies? That's a super-animal.

[Rexanne]

OMG that is an ugly beast! Brrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr - I would have been screaming and running as far away as I could get.

It actually looks like a DATE PALM BUG. I did battle with one of those monsters when it was in my baby's room in Palm Springs. They are super aggressive and will try to take you on. The one I battled was flying at me and trying to keep me out of the room. Scary. GAWD. Thinking about it and seeing this picture gives me serious willies. :scared:

[bpal]

Clearly a discombobulating moment for someone who obviously finds women intellectually inferior.

Don't get me wrong, I totally agree; however, it's polite to give credit where it is due. You do believe in being polite don't you, Anne?

[Anne]

Don't get me wrong, I totally agree; however, it's polite to give credit where it is due. You do believe in being polite don't you, Anne?
Of course, I was just so shocked, I typed the first thing that came to mind.

In all fairness, I must add that your politeness is exceeded only by your kindness.

[bpal]

Of course, I was just so shocked, I typed the first thing that came to mind.

In all fairness, I must add that your politeness is exceeded only by your kindness.

Thank you. How can I bash women with comments like that? It's like kryptonite...


So, yeah... that bug. They are harmless... I think.

(oooh, time to check out the IC)

[Snib]

That's it! Thanks!

Do you mind telling what you searched for? I tried quite a few search terms (both in Google, Yahoo, and the their respective image searches) before I gave up and posted.

I think it was something like "strange cricket insect" but I'm not getting the same results I got at first. The site that came up was whatsthatbug.com.

- Scott

[MichaelColey]

Whenever you have a plant or animal that you don't recognize and want to identify the easiest thing to do is go online and look for a "dichotomous key." Some nice biologist somewhere has made one for every conceivable situation, like ferns, mosses, water lilies, box turtles and insects. Frequently they're oriented geographically so be careful you're not searching through one for Great Britain when you live in Mexico.

"Dichotomous" means "two-way", or a fork-in-the-road. A dichotomous key is a tool used to distinguish the differences among a set of similar objects like trees, insects or car tires. The key separates these objects into categories based on physical characteristics. It's a process of elimination that requires careful observation and possibly the learning of some basic terminology. A dichotomous key is a lot like a computer program. For every question posed by the key there are only two possible outcomes. Each answer you provide leads you down a different path which should culminate in the correct answer, providing you've supplied accurate answers along the way.Great tip! Kind of like the 20 questions games. I did try to find something like that, but didn't know the technical name.

[Carolyn - ShareASale]

*shudder*

[Mack]

Do you live near a nuclear power plant or testing facility?

That's one ugly bug. Surprised there wasn't a 50's Sc-Fi B movie made about that one.

[Trust]

I gotta admit, first I thought it was photoshopped. I've seen some good ones with different animals put together. It does look like 2 different insects were joined. And I still like my name better, Crabhopper or maybe Lobhopper? The head doesn't look like it belongs on that body, the coloring is different.

But what Snib posted, it's definitely a mole cricket

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:Mole_cricket02.jpg

[mrbshouse]

I hear they taste like chicken

[MichaelColey]

From the Wikipedia entry: "In East Asia, however, they are sometimes used as food (fried)."

I doubt they taste like chicken, though.

[John Powell]

I gotta admit, first I thought it was photoshopped.Me too. It looks like something from an old Doctor Who show.