THE KATYDID

By Alex Anacki

Grade 5

1

Now you

can hear

my story!

THE AMAZON RAINFOREST

Receives about 6 ft. 7 in. of rain per year.

The layers are the overstory, canopy, understory, shrub layer, and forest floor.

It is located in the upper section of Brazil.

The Amazon holds an important place in our ecosystem. Without it, we wouldn’t have some very important animals and scientists couldn’t be as knowledgeable about some subjects.

The katydid is located in treetops.2

HOME SWEET HOME

Their scientific name is Tettigoniid.

Katydids are most common in the Amazon,

but can also be found in your local park!

Although it is found in treetops, so you may

not see it as often.

It is nocturnal.

It ranges from 1-5 inches.

It weighs only a few ounces.

3

TEAM WORK

The katydid eats leaves on the rainforest

floor, cleaning up the ground just slightly,

one nibble at a time.

The katydid is a big part of the food chain.

Every insect counts!

The katydid is also a huge protein source for

some animals.

4

PROTEIN!!!

ENEMIES

The katydid is eaten by wasps, ants, praying

mantises, and tree frogs. Another predator

is the monkey. Birds and amphibians,

however, are the biggest predators.

5

SURVIVAL

The katydid blends in with leaves,

camouflaging itself from enemies.

The katydid bites when handled roughly.

In defense, katydids use their coloration as

camo. If they are discovered by a predator,

regardless of color, katydids will take flight

to escape.

6

YUM!

The katydid enjoys a feast of leaves, flowers, stems, and fruits.

Sometimes the katydid will eat other insects.

It lives near a bounty of food, so it has no trouble finding dinner.

It is eaten by arachnids or insects like the Rabid Wolf Spider, not to be confused with the common wolf spider. That is eaten by the wild turkey.

7

NURSERY RHYMES

The baby katydid (nymph) undergoes simple

metamorphosis.

The life span is less than a year because it

never survives the winter. Only eggs do.

Katydids are abandoned after hatching.

They reach adult stage in 3-4 months.

It is unknown how many eggs a katydid lays

at once.

8

FUN FACT!

After molting, katydids eat their shed skin to

leave no trace of existence to predators.

Katydids are capable of flight, but prefer not

to. When they do fly, it is more of a

downward spiral.

9

WAIT A SECOND…

Let’s start with some questions.

10

QUESTIONS 1-5

1. Where is the Amazon Rainforest located?

2. What is a layer of the Amazon Rainforest?

3. Where can you count on finding the katydid?

4. How does the katydid contribute to the Amazon?

5. What is one of the katydid’s predators?

11

Russia Brazil

The giant

Massachusetts

lizard originally

from Timbuktu

Praying Mantis Stink bug

QUESTIONS 6-10

6. What is something the katydid eats?

7. What stage in the life cycle is when the katydid survives winter?

8. What do katydids sometimes do after molting?

9. Where does the katydid commonly live?

10. Are the katydids with their parents after hatching for a period of

time?

12

Feet Tree leaves Composition

books

Adult Egg Life cycle????

Eat their shed

skin

Run away,

ashamed

Start dancing

Death Valley The Amazon

Yeah Nope

SOME ANSWERS!

1. The Amazon is located in the upper

section of Brazil.

2. Examples: overstory, canopy, understory,

shrub layer, and forest floor.

3. Treetops.

4. It eats leaves off the rainforest floor.

5. Examples: wasps, ants, praying mantises,

and tree frogs.

13

SOME MORE ANSWERS!

6. Examples: leaves, flowers, stems, and fruits.

7. Egg stage.

8. They eat their molted skin.

9. Amazon Rainforest or your local park.

10. No.

14