Valanga irregularis
In 3 days ~50% in a week ~80%
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 20% of wildlife watchers report a Giant Grasshopper sighting in Perth on a given day, based on 192 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data. It is the 3rd most-seen of the 275 insects we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 50%, and over a week to about 80%, if each day is a fresh chance.
January–March and May
In those months about 30% of wildlife watchers report a Giant Grasshopper in Perth on a given day, against about 10% in August, the lowest month.
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.
2nd of 2
Of the 2 cities where we can rate Giant Grasshopper sightings, Perth ranks 2nd at about 20%. The best odds are in Brisbane (Australia, about 30%).
Same family: Acrididae
The closest relatives of the Giant Grasshopper that you can see in Perth (family Acrididae, Short-horned Grasshoppers) are Giant Green Slantface (about 10%), Common Gumleaf Grasshopper (about 10%) and Bark-Mimicking Grasshopper (about 10%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Giant Grasshopper is recorded against all the insects logged in Perth (192 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.
