CLOSED: Can you help me identify what this creepy crawler is?

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tweberglass Palo Alto, CA Nov 03, 2008

This bug crawled out form under the couch last night while I was sitting on the floor at my brothers house last night. It was easily 2 inches long and was very fat. It was about an inch across in the abdomen. It head was very big and alien looking. It did not move very quickly but I was pretty freaked out to find him. My girlfriend screamed louder then I have ever heard her scream. I have a few more pictures of the front and back but I think I can only upload one at a time. I live in California near San Francisco for help identification purposes.

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tweberglass Palo Alto, CA Nov 03, 2008

Picture 2

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tweberglass Palo Alto, CA Nov 03, 2008

Picture 3

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suunto Sinks Grove, WV Nov 03, 2008

This is a so-called Jerusalem cricket (Orthoptera: Stenopelmatidae); there are several species in the genus Stenopelmatus native to California - see http://www.insectimages.org/browse/detail.cfm?imgnum=5305045 for an example and http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jerusalem_cricket for much more information.

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OldNed Merritt Island, FL(Zone 10a) Nov 03, 2008

Looks like a Mole Cricket...The worst turfgrass pest in Florida. They are not common in California...don't know why it was in the house; most of their time is spent underground.

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OldNed Merritt Island, FL(Zone 10a) Nov 03, 2008

Yep...Jerusalem Cricket. I wondered why a Mole Cricket would be in your part of California.

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MotherNature4 Bartow, FL(Zone 9a) Nov 03, 2008

Hey, Ned, I sure hope our mole crickets never grow THAT BIG. They are ugly enough already.

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tweberglass Palo Alto, CA Nov 04, 2008

Thanks for your ID help. :)

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Beejay2005 Louisville, MS Nov 09, 2008

Thought it was a cricket. BUT!!!!?????
Glad to know what a "MOLE "cricket looked!
I have heard of them for years here in Mississippi.,but the dudes apparently don't handg around my place at present Had no idea exactly what they looked like...........
This I can be thankful for .I am not much of a screemer,but would not like to awaken with him staring me in the face!

Beejay


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debaru Gilbert, AZ Nov 17, 2008

When I was a small girl in Southern California, we called them "Grabbity Bugs" (I have idea why -- maybe we were afraid they were going to "get/grab" us).

We would often find them when digging in our garden. The other common name we used was "Potato Bug". It wasn't until I was much older that I learned their true name (Jerusalem Cricket). Cricket or not, they have always creeped me out!

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