Bubble Cricket

In bogs, marshes and other similar freshwater wetlands, many bubble crickets can be found chirping and traversing the waterways. Unlike common crickets, bubble crickets are smaller and have longer legs, allowing them to balance and stand on water using surface tension. To move around quickly, they will use their specialized mouths to blow a stream of air to propel themselves backwards. This form of travel is often used to escape predators and contributes to their common name, as blowing into the water causes small bubbles. 

Bubble crickets have bodies that have adapted to living in wetter habitats and are covered in hydrophobic hairs. These hairs allow them to briefly dunk beneath the water and use their wings as propulsion. They do this to feed off of aquatic plants and roots, but cannot go very deep or stay underneath for very long.

Written by ShinyBlue