American Museum of Natural History
March 24 at 8:14 PM
Meet the Jerusalem cricket (Stenopelmatus fuscus)! It’s also known as the potato bug for its tendency to live in potato fields, where it munches on the roots of the crop. This insect lives in western North America and spends most of its time underground, relying on its big head and mandibles to push through the soil. How big does the unusual-looking critter get? As big as 2 inches (5 centimeters) long!
Photo: J.J. Maughn, CC BY-NC-ND 2.0, flickr