Language
Country/Area
No result found
The life habits of crickets: How do they make their home in secret habitats?
Crickets, especially the two-spotted cricket (Gryllus bimaculatus), are small creatures whose living habits in nature have attracted widespread attention from scientists. They build nests in their hidden homes with unique adaptability and diverse social behaviors, which makes us wonder how these little creatures, which are not easily noticed, take root in nature?
Crickets' habitats are usually hidden under tree trunks, in grass or in the cracks of rocks. They can create their own habitats by digging holes.
This cricket gets its name from its unique appearance, with two visible spots at the base of its body, which makes it easy to distinguish from other cricket species. In addition to surviving in the wild, two-spotted crickets are also widely used in the animal food chain, especially for some insect-eating pets and small reptiles in zoos, where they are an excellent food source.
In terms of behavior, two-spotted crickets exhibit strong social interactions and competitive behaviors. Male crickets fight fiercely for territory and mating rights, but the fights usually do not cause serious injuries and the losers generally choose to retreat. This fighting style mainly utilizes the open jaw and the hind legs to push the opponent forward.
In terms of cueing behavior, male crickets use characteristic calls to attract females and warn other male intruders.
The chirping technique of crickets is quite unique. Male crickets use the friction of their wings to produce different tones to convey information. The sound not only attracts female crickets, but also provides a warning of an impending fight. When encountering other male crickets, they will emit loud and high-frequency chirps to scare their opponents and make them retreat.
Compared to the chirping behavior during the breeding season, male crickets will produce soft "calling songs" and passionate "mating songs" during the courtship stage, adjusting the chirping pattern according to the distance of the female cricket. The differences in these call tones vary in different mating situations, which undoubtedly plays an important role in communication and reproduction between crickets.
While the relationship between a cricket's song pattern and body size remains controversial, the quality of its call plays a key role in mating success.
These crickets are also very good at choosing secret habitats. They like to hide in natural caves, usually digging out or borrowing animal holes as their own homes. Male crickets are highly possessive of their territories but are open to the presence of females, demonstrating flexibility in their reproductive strategies.
In terms of eating, although female crickets occasionally eat male crickets, this usually happens when food is scarce, and it is also an extreme behavior of crickets in the competition for survival.
The life cycle of crickets is also interesting. Female crickets use their special ovipositor to lay eggs in moist soil or sand, and larvae will hatch after about two weeks. This method of reproduction ensures the continuation of the species and allows it to thrive in a variety of habitats.
Female crickets typically mate with multiple males, a practice that increases the chances of successful fertilization and avoids problems caused by inbreeding.
According to the study, female crickets choose new males when mating, which is called the "novice mate hypothesis," allowing them to seek out more genetically advantageous mates. This unique selection strategy is of great significance for improving the genetic diversity of crickets.
In addition, the genome research of crickets was published for the first time in 2020, which provides more scientific basis for their living habits and behaviors. The cricket's genome includes 17,871 annotated protein-coding genes, which will further help us understand how these tiny insects survive and reproduce in nature.
In summary, the living habits of two-spotted crickets reveal the diversity and survival wisdom of nature. How they find opportunities to survive and reproduce in their secret homes is a topic worthy of further study and reflection. How do crickets display extraordinary wisdom in their seemingly ordinary ecology?
