Strong grasshoppers are plump, almost prehistoric-looking creatures found only on the banks of a river in southern New Zealand. These grasshoppers generally come in simple colors of brown and rusty brown to blend in with their surroundings. They’re not pink—at least, not usually.
But New Zealand Department of Conservation (DOC) rangers saw just that: a completely natural, delightfully pink, robust grasshopper. They found the pink insect during an annual locust survey near Lake Tekapo in the Mackenzie Basin. From what experts can tell, the unusual shade was caused by either something the grasshopper ate or, more likely, erythrism, a genetic mutation that results in grasshoppers overproducing red pigment.
“She was amazing!” Jane Shorey, a ranger involved in the survey, recalled to The Guardian. “We’ve heard of them, especially at this site, emerging every couple of years. But they’re actually very rare.”
the rarest of them all
strong locusts (Sigous robustus) themselves are already rare, with the New Zealand government classifying them as “nationally endangered” or “facing high risk of extinction in the near term”. In 2018, rangers installed a predator exclusion fence around a small area harboring these insects, to protect them from hedgehogs, cats or birds.
Annual surveys aim to identify and record locust populations and well-being, and on one of these excursions Shori and his colleagues found a strange patch of dark pink among the rocks outside the fence.
“These grasshoppers are very unique. They look almost prehistoric,” Shori said in a statement. “They can jump quite well but are famous for their clumsy landings. They are also very vulnerable. The pink one will unfortunately be even more visible to predators, which is why this sighting is so special.”
stay strong, pink one
That said, it is too early to conclude that the locusts will die prematurely. There is a possibility – although small – that a pink creature will breed and pass those pink genes on to its offspring.
“But she stands out really well to her surroundings, so she has to do a really good job of hiding from her predators to get to adulthood,” Shori admitted in an interview with The New Zealand Herald. “In saying that, she only has a few more months – she will reach adulthood [soon]So there’s definitely a chance.
“She’s definitely become a celebrity in our office and we make fun of the paparazzi coming over and taking lots of pictures,” Shori said in the statement. “I’m so glad I got to see it after so many years. It’s really special to be out in nature in this part of the world.”
For what it’s worth, I’ll definitely be praying for the safety of the cute, chunky pink grasshopper. I urge you to do the same.