"Daruet Ngom" - The Aceh Typical Giant Grasshopper Which is Endangered

Today, when I was in the office I was suddenly startled by the presence of a large grasshopper. In Aceh, we call it "Daruet Ngom", an Aceh typical giant grasshopper.

Photo #1

---

According to Wikipedia, Grasshoppers are insects of the suborder Caelifera within the order Orthoptera, which includes crickets and their allies in the other suborder Ensifera.

They are likely the oldest living group of chewing herbivorous insects, dating back to the early Triassic around 250 million years ago. Grasshoppers are typically ground-dwelling insects with powerful hind legs which enable them to escape from threats by leaping vigorously.

They are hemimetabolous insects (they do not undergo complete metamorphosis) which hatch from an egg into a nymph or "hopper" which undergoes five moults, becoming more similar to the adult insect at each developmental stage.

At high population densities and under certain environmental conditions, some grasshopper species can change colour and behaviour and form swarms. Under these circumstances they are known as locusts.

---

Photo #2

---

Actually very many other types of locusts, but this "Daruet Ngom" is the biggest of all the species I've seen.

After so long I never meet it again --because it's already classified as a rare species-- then I am reminded again with my childhood days. We used to hunt them to eat.

"Daruet Ngom" is very tasty and can be eaten immediately after being burned. Formerly, when we've found it some, then we jabbed it into the stick and baked it like satay.

But now, after seeing this endangered and disappearing species from the face of the earth, I feel sorry I've done that before.

In some countries, grasshopper becomes a favorite menu to be eaten and sold freely. Read: So What Does A Deep-Fried Grasshopper Taste Like?.

Margaret Joseph sells grasshoppers to Ado Garba at her stall in the Maiduguri market. | Image Source

---

Photo #3

---

Hopefully there will be concrete actions that we can take to prevent this very unique and adorable animals from the threat of extinction.