How Do Crickets Sing?

Exceptional Bug

There is no mistaking the look and sound of a cricket. His large legs are capable of jumping 20 to 30 times his body length, according to Insecta Inspecta World, and his song is loud, filling the night. He has been kept as a pet and fought for sport in ancient China. He is commonly kept and raised for pet food or fishing bait. He is even eaten as a novelty dish or as necessary protein by people. He is the perfect low-maintenance addition to a terrarium, because he will eat almost anything: sprouts, decaying vegetable and animal matter, even paper, leather and cloth--all while he sings his song for you.

Cricket Anatomy

The cricket has powerful back legs that he can use as a weapon or to leap away from predator, and he has front legs which come equipped with an eardrum for hearing, but it is his forewings that make him unmistakable. The underside of each wing has a large vein with a row of ridges attached to it. Like rubbing a thumbnail across the teeth of a comb, a male cricket will rub the top of one wing along the ridges of the other wing to produce the chirping noise heard across the fields on a summer night and under your dresser when you are trying to fall asleep. He also raises his wings as he rubs them and uses the wing membrane to amplify his song, resulting in a sound that "is slightly higher than the highest octave on a piano," according to Insecta Inspecta World.

Song Purpose

The male crickets are the only ones who sing, and they usually sing at night as they search for a mate. In addition to singing to attract a mate, male crickets sing to challenge a rival and to sound the alarm. Each chirp has a different sound. The cricket's song will also differ with the air temperature--he will chirp faster when it is warmer.

References

• Insected
• Insecta-Inspecta World
• Enchanted Learning