Is a grasshopper a locust?

For our friends in the south, grasshoppers can be said to be a very delicious food on the table. But for our friends in the north, they still can't tell the difference between grasshoppers and locusts. So, is a grasshopper a locust? From the classification of insects we can see that the two are not the same insects. If you have never seen these two insects, let us learn about the difference between them.

All insects in the superfamily Acridoidea can be called locusts. The superfamily Acridoidea includes 8 families. The grasshoppers we usually refer to are mainly locusts in the family Acrididae and locusts in the genus Nematode in the family Acridoidea. (The classification levels used above are from large to small: superfamily -- family -- genus)

To put it simply, locusts cover a wide range, and grasshoppers are some groups of locusts. Neither locust nor grasshopper is a scientific name, but the name of grasshopper is more popular and not used in academia, while the name of locust is more recognized and can be used in academia, and it is clear that it is an insect of the superfamily Acridoidea.

Grasshoppers are herbivorous insects with chewing mouthparts. Its antennae are short, whip-like, and it has powerful hind legs that it can use to bounce to avoid its predators. The body color is green and brown, which is the protective color of the living environment.

Grasshoppers have large mouths and well-developed jaws and feed on plant leaves. There are more than 12,000 species of grasshoppers in the world, distributed in tropical, temperate grasslands and desert areas around the world.

Grasshoppers are oviparous insects used as both medicine and food. They belong to the order Orthoptera, superfamily Acridoidea, class Insecta. According to statistics, there are 859 species of grasshoppers in the superfamily Acridoidea. They are dioecious, mate naturally, and lay eggs. Under natural conditions, they reproduce two generations a year, namely summer locusts and autumn locusts.

Grasshoppers are rich in chitosan. Nutrition experts believe that chitosan is known as the sixth vital element of the human body after protein, fat, carbohydrates, vitamins and minerals. Chitosan can increase the pH value of body fluids, improve the acidic environment in the body, eliminate free radicals in the human body, inhibit the damage of peroxides to human tissue cells, activate cells, delay aging, and eliminate toxins in the body, achieving the effect of detoxification and beauty (Japan uses chitosan as a preparation for sewage treatment). Therefore, chitosan is recommended by nutrition experts as the last treasure of mankind in the 21st century.

Grasshoppers are low in fat and cholesterol, with a fat content of 5.25%. They mainly feed on green grass of the Poaceae family and do not eat other feed. It is reported that some patients with obesity, hypertension, cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases currently tend to eat insects in order to lose weight and cure diseases. According to relevant experts, grasshoppers are the most ideal space food for humans in the future and the ideal food for weight loss and bodybuilding in modern society.