The frequency of chirping
varies according to temperature. To get a rough estimate of the
temperature in degrees fahrenheit, count the number of chirps in
15 seconds and then add 37. The number you get will be an approximation
of the outside temperature.
So, how do crickets make
that chirping sound?
Usually, the males are
the "singers." The male cricket rubs a scraper (a sharp
ridge on his wing) against a series of wrinkles, or "files",
on the other wing. The tone of the chirping depends upon the distance
between the wrinkles.
There are several reasons
why crickets chirp. They may be:
-
Calling to attract a female with a a loud and monotonous sound
-
Courting
a nearby female with a quick, softer chirp
-
Behaving
aggressively during the encounter of two males
-
Sounding
a danger alert when sensing trouble
Crickets are part of
the family Orthoptera (grasshoppers and katydids).
Want to learn more about
Insects? The Iowa State
Entomology Index of Internet Resources is a directory and search
engine of insect related resources on the Internet.
 Related
Web Sites |
-
Singing
Insects of North America - "The primary goal
of Singing Insects of North America is to enable
users
to identify crickets, katydids, and cicadas from America
north of Mexico". Some of the pages are under
construction, however, there is plenty of information
available for
researchers. The site provides classification information
for identifying crickets, katydids, and cicadas,
a section
about their songs, and references.
-
Insect
Sound World: Songs of Crickets and Katydids from Japan
- This website is available in both Japanese and English.
You will need Real Player to listen to the many different
sounds and songs of crickets and katydids. Related web
links are also available.
-
Insecta
Inspecta World - This site was created by the
Honors Academy of Thornton Jr. High School in Fremont,
California. It
includes
information and images of crickets as well as other insects.
- National
Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Cricket
Chirp
Converter - You can enter in the number of chirps and
the system will calculate the temperature.
|
 Further
Reading |
- Berger,
Melvin. Chirping crickets. New York, Harper Collins,
c.1998. 32. p. (Juvenile Literature)
- Dethier,
Vincent Gaston. Crickets and katydids, concerts and solos.
Cambridge, MA, Harvard University Press, 1992. 140 p.
- Helfer,
Jacques R. How to know the grasshoppers, crickets, cockroaches
and their allies. New York, Dover. 1987. 363 p. (enlarged
republication of the second edition:1972)
- Johnson,
Sylvia A. Chirping insects. Minneapolis, Lerner Pub.,
1986. 47 p. (Juvenile Literature)
|
 For
more print resources...
Search on "cricket,"
"chirping insect," or "chirping cricket"
in the Library of Congress Online
Catalog.
|
Female (left)
an Male (right) crickets
Image by Jim Mason. From the Great
Plains Nature Center web site.
Photo from The Animal Welfare Information Center Web site.
Crickets, from the USGS
Science for a Changing World Web sites.
|
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