INS012-00008
Oblong-winged katydid (Amblycorypha oblongifolia) at the Omaha Henry Doorly Zoo. This one is pink, an unusual color morph. The pink katydids range throughout most of the United States; particularly the midwest and north east. The most common color phase is green. These animals rely primarily on camouflage to defend against predators. Occasionally, pink and even orange katydids are found. This is caused by genes, not diet, age, or sex. Recent evidence has shown that the pink color phase is actually dominant over green when bred in the lab. However, in the wild, the pink katydids are more readily picked off by predators before reaching maturity. The individuals do not appear to be aware of their color and do not change their life patterns accordingly.
Keywords
- Amblycorypha oblongifolia
- black background
- bug
- captive animals
- Close-up
- color morph
- insect
- Katydid
- oblong-winged katydid
- omaha henry dooryly zoo
- omaha zoo
- Photo Ark
- pink
- pink color morph
- side view
- studio shot
- Zoo
This photo © Joel Sartore 2022. Image usage guidelines
This photo is part of the Photo Ark.
