Valanga irregularis
In 3 days ~60% in a week ~90%
Valanga irregularis, the giant grasshopper, giant valanga or hedge grasshopper, is a large grasshopper belonging to the family Acrididae. The largest grasshopper in Australia, its distribution is restricted to the Australian tropics and subtropics. They are a solitary species.
Both sexes look similar but differ in body size. Female individuals can reach up to 60 to 75 millimetres in length, males about 45 to 55 millimetres, hence they count as the largest grasshopper in Australia and in Southern African countries. Some reports refer a body length up to 90 millimetres.
The body colour and pattern varies highly. Adults have a creamy brown to greyish green colouring. The forewings show a black dot pattern, the hindwings are dark grey, sometimes also colourless or light green. At the tibia orange and red spines with black stings are visible.
Valanga irregularis is native in the tropic and subtropic regions of Australia, northward of Sydney, although in WA they are found as far south as Perth. The species favours a moist climate. In spring and autumn they are often found in grassland or forest. If the atmospheric conditions are ideal they sometimes leave... Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Daintree National Park | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 2 | Nitmiluk National Park | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 3 | Kakadu National Park | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 4 | Noosa National Park | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 5 | Springbrook National Park | 🇦🇺 Australia |
Possible
About 30% of wildlife watchers report a Giant Grasshopper sighting in Brisbane on a given day, based on 813 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data. It is the 7th most-seen of the 1083 insects we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 60%, and over a week to about 90%, if each day is a fresh chance.
January and February
In those months about 40% of wildlife watchers report a Giant Grasshopper in Brisbane on a given day, against about 10% in August to October, the lowest months. Those are among Brisbane's wettest months, with about 150 mm of rain a month against 40 mm in July.
Between 2 and 5 pm
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Giant Grasshopper sightings with a recorded time, and about 7 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.
Yes
Of the 2 cities where we can rate Giant Grasshopper sightings, Brisbane has the highest daily chance: about 30%. Next come Perth (Australia, about 20%).
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Giant Grasshopper is recorded against all the insects logged in Brisbane (813 verified sightings), calibrated against known sighting rates. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10% because citizen-science data supports honest approximations, not decimals, and months with records from fewer than five people show "—". How it works.
