# Two-striped Grasshopper

*Melanoplus bivittatus*

They can leap up to 20 times their body length using specialized hind legs that store and release energy like a catapult.

- **Taxonomy:** Animalia › Arthropoda › Insecta › Orthoptera › Acrididae › Melanoplus
- **IUCN Red List status:** Least Concern
- **Population trend:** stable
- **Biome:** grassland
- **Habitat:** Grasslands, meadows, agricultural fields, roadsides, and gardens
- **Diet:** Herbivorous, consuming a wide variety of grasses, herbaceous plants, and crops
- **Range:** North America, United States, Canada
- **Size:** 30 to 55 mm in length
- **Lifespan:** 1 year (adults live 2-3 months)
- **Active:** diurnal
- **Threats:** Widespread pesticide application and habitat destruction
- **Safe to approach?:** Harmless. Safe to observe from any distance. If handled, they may pinch slightly or regurgitate a harmless brown digestive fluid ('tobacco juice') as a defense mechanism. Simply wash skin with soap and water if contact occurs.

## About

Melanoplus bivittatus , the two-striped grasshopper , is a species of grasshopper belonging to the family Acrididae. It is commonly found in North America, and is especially abundant on the Canadian prairies.

## Sources

- Plate: https://gaia-dex.com/species/e2863207-0401-478b-b0d2-f9784908e997
- iNaturalist: https://www.inaturalist.org/taxa/129305
- Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Melanoplus bivittatus
- Conservation status: IUCN Red List category, as recorded by Gaia-Dex
- Photo: https://inaturalist-open-data.s3.amazonaws.com/photos/11868641/medium.jpg (Ryan Hodnett, CC-BY-SA, via iNaturalist)

Habitat, diet, size and similar notes are AI-written summaries; check them against the linked sources before relying on them.