#desert locust

[heximinimal]

I miss you so much Rainu, Mir and Vir. I miss you so much.

[antiqueanimals]

Grzimek's Animal Life Encyclopedia: vol. 2 - Insects. Written by Dr. Bernhard Grzimek. 1984.

Internet Archive

1.) Desert locust (Schistocerca gregaria)

2.) Blue-winged grasshopper (Oedipoda caerulescens)

3.) Cylindracheta sp.

[randomanimaloftheday]

Day 88#: Desert Locust

Today's animal of the day is the Desert Locust (Schistocerca gregaria)!

Photo credit: Jane Dixon

This species of grasshopper is most commonly found in the arid regions of northern and eastern Africa, Arabia, and southwest Asia. However, they've also been known to venture into southern Europe and northern India when certain environmental factors drive them out of their normal range. Most of the time, these locusts are primarily solitary and range in color from bright green to a sandy beige, depending on their age (with younger individuals being more brightly colored). However, when the right conditions are met, these insects go through a transformation of Biblical proportions.

Photo credit: Paige Duvenage

This change typically happens after it first begins to rain after a drought, when the vegetation finally recovers. This triggers a massive population boom, and these otherwise solitary insects will start to gather in extremely large numbers. The locusts will release pheromones, signalling to other members of their species to begin changing. They will turn a pale yellow color with black markings, and their wings will elongate to better support long-distance flying. Once the locusts have fully transformed into their migratory phase, they will then proceed to form a massive swarm and feed on any plant matter they come across!

Photo credit: Ben Curtis

When this happens, it is known as a plague, and these swarms have been known to travel immense distances in order to get their fill. This not only poses a major threat to the local ecosystem but also to crops, and historically, these locust plagues have caused many famines throughout northern Africa and the Middle East. In fact, this was probably the species of locust referred to in the Bible/Torah when God sent a plague of locusts to Egypt, since they are native to that region. During plagues, the time it takes for these locusts to reach sexual maturity also significantly decreases, with migratory phase nymphs taking only two to four weeks to reach adulthood, while it normally takes around six months during their solitary phase.

Photo credit: Tommaso Renzulli

A swarm can have up to 150 million locusts per square kilometre, and plague periods can last for literal years! The last plague took place from June 2019 until February 2022! Eventually, as the locust population increases, they will begin to compete with one another over food. When the swarm gets so overcrowded that the locusts are bumping into each other's hind legs, the stimulus from this causes them to start producing a pheromone that will begin transforming them back into their solitary phase. The rate of birth will slow down tremendously, and the swarms will begin to disband. The population decreases significantly once the pre-existing adult locusts left over from the swarm die of old age (which usually takes between three to five months), and the new generation of desert locusts will live solitary lives in the same general area, and go relatively unnoticed until the next plague.

Photo credit: Louis van Wyk

The large quantity of dead locusts after a plague actually has some pretty significant positive impacts on the local ecosystem. Their nutrient-rich bodies help support the growth of new plants as they decompose. Not to mention, all the insectivorous creates who benefit from the increased supply of locusts to eat. Unfortunately, man-made climate change and desertification are causing more and more droughts, which increases the risk of locust plagues occurring. This also causes the swarms to become larger and the plague periods to last longer. As a result, more and more farmers in this region are using more and more pesticides, which are extremely harmful since they don't just kill the locusts but also countless other creatures, including humans! So, let's add that to one of the MANY reasons why we should stop global warming while we still can.

[wondrous-art]

Finished more Miinu designs, specifically Lampry's acquaintances. The first is a band he plays with at his bar, a band of Orthoptera, (and also maybe a polycule?)

And a much needed redesign of Arressa, the Emerald Cockroach Wasp who is a frequent singer at Lampry's bar with mothia ties.

[alienbath]

The Desert Locust one of the most destructive pests

(Source: Ingo Arndt)

[modernsuperhero]

so who’s gonna write the 2020 version of “We Didn’t Start The Fire”?

[farmerstrend]

Desert Locusts Return: How North Africa Is Battling a New Wave of Outbreaks in 2025

“Desert locust outbreaks continue to threaten crops across North Africa. Learn about FAO’s urgent control measures, affected regions, and upcoming migration forecasts for 2025.” The Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) has reported that desert locust outbreaks, which began in February and March, are continuing to affect several countries in northwestern Africa. Adult groups, small swarms,…

Desert Locusts Return: How North Africa Is Battling a New Wave of Outbreaks in 2025