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
Dave is the Founder and Editor in Chief of Go Backpacking and Feastio. He’s been to 66 countries and lived in Colombia and Peru. Read the full story of how he became a travel blogger.
Planning a trip? Go Backpacking recommends:
- G Adventures for small group tours.
- Hostelworld for booking hostels.
Speedhakoo
Thursday 30th of December 2010
will only be poisonous if you decide to eat it.
Speedhakoo
Thursday 30th of December 2010
Dave it's called San art. cool pic
Andrea
Friday 19th of November 2010
That's incredible. Never seen anything like it.
Dave
Friday 19th of November 2010
Thanks Andrea. I don't recall our guide mentioning it was poisonous when he picked it up so we could get a closer look!
Jack and Jill Travel
Wednesday 17th of November 2010
Holly molly! That's one gorgeous animal!
Monday 15th of November 2010
So what was the conversation on Reddit about the photo? Nice photo by the way!
Dave
Monday 15th of November 2010
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!).