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Animal profile

Meadow Grasshopper

Pseudochorthippus parallelus

InsectaDamp and dry unimproved grassland, road verges and meadowsLeast Concern

Field profile

The meadow grasshopper is a small green or brown grasshopper of open grassland, with females typically flightless because the wings are reduced. Males sing a short repeated rasp on warm days. It is one of the commonest grasshoppers across much of Europe.

Scope note

This is an editorial profile, not a diagnostic field-identification guide or a substitute for current conservation assessments. Follow the cited sources on each fact for the evidence trail.

Published field notes

2026-05-13

Meadow Grasshopper

A grasshopper jump is a released spring

Muscle alone cannot contract fast enough to produce a grasshopper's take-off. The insect first co-contracts opposing muscles to bend a pad of resilin and cuticle in the hind leg, then releases the catch, so the energy comes out far faster than it went in.

Read with evidence →

Meadow Grasshopper | Daily Animal Facts