An Amusing Look at the Evolving Physiology of Katydids, Grasshoppers, and Crickets

In an amusingly informative episode of his True Facts series, narrator Ze Frank examines the incredible, evolving physiology of orthopteran insects, including katydids, grasshoppers, and crickets. In his usual forthright style, Frank explains how these orthopterans make amazing jumps, how they developed the ability to produce sounds, how they amplify and mute them, and why those sounds make a perfect soundtrack.

It’s this sort of creativity that resulted in orthopteran mating calls being the soundtrack to well everything. And here’s the kicker. It could be a lot louder.  

The Leaf Katydid

Ultra Slow Motion Footage of Insects Taking Flight