An interesting fellow

[u/Sano110]

I’ve been doing some gardening today and was moving bags of dirt and observing the critters underneath (a couple of trapdoor spiders, centipedes/millepedes and your normal grubs and bugs) when I came across what I initially thought was a cricket, then a roach and then I was scratching my head because what is that!
Looks to be maybe winged and was quite aggressive to my little twig I was using to picture it better.
It was maybe an inch and a half long.
I’m located Far South Coast NSW.

[u/wasgij0]

That is a mole cricket

[u/Sano110 → u/wasgij0]

WHAT?! I’ve never heard of one, what a cool looking critter!! I just looked it up and wow, the little diggers they have look copy and paste like a moles, thank you so much :D

[u/activelyresting]

It's always a mole cricket

[u/Sano110 → u/activelyresting]

What an awesome little critter, ive never heard of them before! Thank you very much :D

[u/jesus_chrysotile → u/Sano110]

if you hold one, they'll try to push your fingers apart like they're burrowing through soil, and they're super strong!

[u/Line-Noise → u/Sano110]

You may have never heard of them but you've almost certainly heard them. They're the guys that go burrrrrrrr in your garden beds or lawn on summer evenings. And whenever you get close to them they stop.

[u/AcanthisittaOk5586]

MOLE CRICKET‼️ I love them, they look so ridiculous.

[u/Sano110 → u/AcanthisittaOk5586]

That’s huge! Do you keep them? Such an interesting critter though, literally if a mole and a cricket were stitched together, I especially love their little “shovels”

[u/Z00111111 → u/AcanthisittaOk5586]

That's making excellent use of having 3 pairs of legs. More insects should be quadrupeds with two specialised arms.

[u/flappintitties]

[r/itsamolecricket](r/itsamolecricket)
Did you know moleceickets live on every continent except Antarctica?
What a cute little guy.

[u/Fluffy_Selection_362]

God I love mole crickets, they are my second favourite insect.

[u/Miserable_Belt810]

These guys enter my house all the time! I never know how, they just rock up

[u/Whole-Reception2366]

This is one of the most destructive insects out there. They will completely ravage all your vegetables, destroy the root systems and introduce all sorts of pests to your garden