Nature System Failure: Glamorous Grasshopper

The main defense of most insects is camouflage. The color corresponding to the habitat makes them invisible to predators. This rule is also true for grasshoppers, but for the species Chorthippus Parallelus in the East of England, something went wrong.

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The Residents of Suffolk began to notice a bright pink grasshoppers more and more often. It's hard not to notice a bright pink blot on the background of green grass.

This is not photoshop, and no, noone was catching grasshoppers and painted in bright pink color for the sake of a prank.

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Such mutation is a consequence of Erythrism- the violation of the pigmentation of integument (skin, wool, feathers, scales, eggshells) in favor of red, orange or pinkish color.

To be precise, Erythrism can lead to two results: complete disabling of pigmentation (very similar to albinos), or too active production of pigments of bright colors.

Erythrism is peculiar not only to grasshoppers but also to other animals. For example in Georgia was discovered snake Coronella Austriaca with bright red color. Although their characteristic color- brown.

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Looks a bit weird and pretty cute. But, such deviations cannot exist in nature for a long time. Obviously, an individual with such a color is doomed, it has almost no chance to reach maturity and give offspring. The animal will be a priority target for predators.

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But, strangely enough, locals meet pink grasshoppers for several years. That proves the survival of individuals with this deviation, which they transmit from generation to generation. Scientists don't know how these abnormal guys can survive, when the nature has played such dirty trick with them. Or it would be correct to say: put a pig!