Heath Grasshopper vs Desert Locust

Side-by-side species comparison

Attribute Heath Grasshopper Desert Locust
Scientific Name Chorthippus vagans Schistocerca gregaria
Order Orthoptera Orthoptera
Family Acrididae Acrididae
Size 12-18mm 45-60 mm
Habitat Heathland Farmland
Diet Herbivores Herbivores
Regions Europe Africa, Asia
Conservation Near Threatened Least Concern

Heath Grasshopper

A small brown grasshopper confined to heathland. One of the rarest grasshoppers in Britain.

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Did You Know?

Confined to a handful of heathland sites in Dorset and threatened by heathland loss and scrub encroachment.

Desert Locust

Forms enormous swarms of billions that devastate crops across Africa and Asia. A single swarm can cover 1,200 square km and eat as much food as 35,000 people daily.

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Did You Know?

A large locust swarm can contain 80 million individuals per square kilometer and travel 150 km per day, consuming their own body weight in food daily.