Kate Culley, 41, came across a bright pink grasshopper, possibly due to a genetic mutation, in her vegetable garden in Gloucestershire.
Kate Culley caught a strange, colorful creature that quickly took photos before the animal fled, Fox News reported on August 14. “I was extremely surprised. It was so unusual, I’ve never seen a grasshopper like this, ”she shared.
This organism is most likely a grasshopper (Chorthippus parallelus). Its distinctive coloring can be attributed to erythrism, a genetic mutation that causes the body to produce too much red pigment. In humans, erythrism can also cause red hair and freckles.
Grasshoppers are common in Europe and Asia, usually green or brown. They hide in damp and grassy places. In the wild, pink grasshoppers are difficult to live with to adulthood because they are easily detected and attacked by predators.
