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Koppie Foam Grasshopper in South Africa

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Koppie Foam Grasshopper (Dictyophorus spumans) - South Africa
During a day hike to see Sani art (cave paintings) in the Drakensberg Mountains, we stopped to admire one of South Africa's large and colorful grasshoppers.

Update

Thanks to the comments on Reddit, this was identified as a Koppie Foam Grasshopper (Dictyophorus spumans). 

The red coloration is a warning sign that it's indeed poisonous, the result of consuming a steady diet of milkweed.

“The grasshoppers ingest these toxins which they exude in a foam from their thoracic joints for their own protection when threatened. Human and animal fatalities are known to have occurred from ingesting these grasshoppers.” — Kruger Park News

Last Updated on July 13, 2019 by Dave

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About Dave

Dave is the Founder and Editor in Chief of Go Backpacking and Feastio. He's been to 65 countries and lived in Colombia and Peru. Originally from New York, Dave now calls Austin, TX home. Find him on Instagram and Twitter.

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Comments

  1. Andrew says

    Wow, that’s just unbelievable, I’ve never seen an insect with colors like that. Also, fantastic photography on your part as usual.

    Cheers,
    Andrew

    • Dave says

      The comments on Reddit are about trying to identify it. Turns out it’s called a Koppie Foam Grasshopper, and as the bright red color suggests, is toxic (so don’t be eating them!).

    • Dave says

      Thanks Andrea. I don’t recall our guide mentioning it was poisonous when he picked it up so we could get a closer look!