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Order Orthoptera Grasshoppers and praying
mantids are sometimes placed in different orders
(Orthoptera and Mantoidea, respectively). We treat them separately here for
reasons of convenience--there is no mistaking a mantis for Orthopterans have enlarged hind legs, make distinct sounds by rubbing their wings against rasps on the hindlegs. Most are adept jumpers. They are herbivorous, and some, such as locusts, are serious threats to crops and human food supplies. Mantids, in contrast, have huge front legs that serve as grasping organs for animal prey--usually other insects. As such, many mantids are important predators on insects deemed harmful or pestilent by humans.
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