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Today on Animal Fact Files we’re discussing mole crickets. Mole crickets aren’t crickets though they are closely related to them. Like crickets, mole crickets have long antennae which are used for sensing the surrounding environment. Unlike crickets, however, mole crickets don't have enlarged hind legs for jumping. They instead have some fancy forelegs which are adapted for burrowing. Like the moles they share a name with, mole crickets use these large digging tools for moving around underground. Mole crickets spend a large part of their lives living in soil and they prefer loose soil like sand and mud. They also prefer to be in moist places as they can easily dry out if they don’t have enough water.

There are dozens of classified mole cricket species, however more are being discovered, so it’s difficult to put an exact number on their species count. Mole crickets are found on every continent except Antarctica. In size they average about an inch in length and some species sport wings with which they can fly while others don’t have wings at all! Mole crickets that do fly usually do so at night. These insects are most active during the first few hours of the evening. The males make calls to attract females by rubbing their wings together. Mole crickets will actually excavate their burrows into a funnel shape to amplify their calls. Each species has a specific call. After mating, the female lays 25 to more than 100 eggs in an underground egg chamber. Some species stick around and protect their eggs until they hatch about three weeks later but other mole cricket moms leave their nest. They may have multiple clutches in a year.

Nymphs hatch from the eggs meaning mole crickets do not undergo complete metamorphosis - they don’t have a pupal stage like a butterfly. The nymphs will grow and shed their outer layer six to eight times before developing into an adult. Usually the final instar, or developmental phase, right before adulthood is spent overwintering underground at which point the adults emerge in the spring and the process begins again. Overall, mole crickets live about two years.

Mole crickets are omnivores with some species focusing more on plant material and others focusing on other animals as a source of food. They’re considered a pest in some areas where their eating and burrowing behavior can cause damage to crops and lawns. Mole crickets are covered in tiny hairs that give them a velvety appearance and help them float in water - not unlike the fishing spider we’ve discussed previously. As a widespread group of animals, predators to mole crickets are also widespread and include birds, small mammals and reptiles, as well as other insects and invertebrates, however, these arthropods are able to release a foul smelling substance when handled to try and get away from potential predators.

For more facts on mole crickets, check out the links in the description. Thank you to Sam and Icaro for today’s request! Give a thumbs up if you learned something new today, and thank you for watching Animal Fact Files!