Northern Mole Cricket

Image from miracleofnature.org

Mole crickets such as the Northern mole cricket (Neocurtilla hexadactyla) are nocturnal subterranean insects, in other words they are active at night and life underground.  They are well built for their underground existence, complete with spade-like front legs. This adaptation is very similar to that of moles, hence the name. 

Today’s species can fly powerfully but only when they need to change their territory, or when females are searching for singing males. Some crickets may fly as far as 8 km during the mating season. Mole crickets are active most of the year, but spend the winter in hibernation.

Mole crickets amplify their song by chirping in a burrow that they've carefully sculpted into the shape of a ‘U’ with two speakers at each end, which acts as a megaphone. Singing usually starts at dusk, often after rain, and ceases within a few hours. The songs of mole crickets are deeper than those of typical crickets and many people have attributed them to frogs.