Jumping
For some insects, running or flying just doesn’t cut it. Instead, grasshoppers, katydids, locusts, and many other insects move around by jumping. This method of movement is an effective way to find food, escape from predators, and simply change locations. Although jumping can be energetically taxing for insects—particularly for larger ones—it is advantageous because it allows them to move more quickly than does running or flying.
There are two main methods that allow jumping insects to launch themselves into the air. Long-legged insects such as bush crickets use leverage to jump long distances without overexerting themselves, while short-legged insects such as fleas use stored energy from contracting their muscles to catapult themselves. Grasshoppers use a combination of both practices.
Best Insect Jumper
So which insect is the best jumper? Bush crickets, fleas, and grasshoppers have tremendous leaping abilities, but they are all topped by the froghopper (Philaenus spumarius). This insect, also known as the spittle bug, jumps higher than the second-place flea relative to its body length. The froghopper uses a distinct catapult mechanism to make the most of stored energy and exert a force that is 414 times its body weight; a flea’s force is 135 times its body weight.
