Mole cricket

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Mole cricket
Image gallery
Real-world info
Name: Gryllotalpa brachyptera Family: Gryllotalpidae - Mole crickets
Main appearances
DnM DnM+ AC DnMe+ iQue WW CF NL NH
Other appearances
Film HHD aF PC
Names in other languages  オケラ  蝼蛄  Taupe-grillon  Grillo cebollero  Grillotalpa  Медведка  땅강아지  螻蛄  Taupe-grillon  Grillo cebollero  Maulwurfsgrille  Veenmol

The mole cricket is a bug in the Animal Crossing series that has appeared in every game to date.

In the games that the mole cricket appears in, it is an uncommon bug that the player can encounter, and can be found flying underground, making a chirping noise. If the player digs where the noise is the loudest, the mole cricket is unearthed and will crawl away. In Animal Crossing: New Horizons, it can be caught from late fall to late spring.

Catch details

In Animal Crossing

#37

"I caught a mole cricket! I wonder if he hates bright lights... (You know, because he's a MOLE cricket?)"

DnM / iQue

DnM+ / AC

DnMe+

Time of year	Nov – May
Time of day	All day
Location	Underground
Weather	Any weather
Selling price	200 Bells
Furniture size

In Wild World

#31

"I caught a mole cricket! I don't see any moles on you, little guy!"

Description	Unknown
Time of year	Nov – May
Time of day	All day
Peak times	N/A
Location	Underground
Bug size	35 mm
Selling price	280 Bells
Furniture size

In City Folk

#34

"I caught a mole cricket! Proceeding with interrogation!"

Description	These live underground but can fly and swim. They're multitalented.
Time of year	Nov – May
Time of day	All day
Peak times	N/A
Location	Underground
Bug size	35 mm
Rarity	Very uncommon
Selling price	280 Bells
Furniture size

In New Leaf

#38

"I caught a mole cricket! And I didn't even have to reset!"

Time of year	Nov – May
Time of day	All day
Peak times	N/A
Location	Underground
Size	44 mm
Rarity	Very uncommon
Selling price	280 Bells
Furniture size

In New Horizons

#37

"I caught a mole cricket! I really dug it!"

Time of year	North: Nov – May South: May – Nov
Time of day	All day
Location	Underground
Weather	Any weather
Spawn requirement	Appears from the start of the game
Selling prices	Nook's Cranny:  500 Bells  Flick:  750 Bells
Furniture size

Donating to the museum

In Animal Crossing

"My my my! Good gracious! This is a frightfully large mole cricket, eh wot? Yes, rather large indeed. Interesting, isn't it? How its monotonous song drags on and on, while the insect itself is nowhere to be seen? That very secret is what sets the mole cricket apart from its relatives. You see, it lives underground, wot wot! It may be because it's become a bit scarce, but I believe that most folk aren't even aware the mole cricket exists. To be nitpicky, it's not actually a true cricket, but rather a distant relative of crickets and grasshoppers. It has rippingly powerful forelegs adapted for digging. In fact, it's these mole-like limbs that give it its name. Its rear legs are shorter than a true cricket's as well. Bleeeeeech! All this talk of bug legs... Simply dreadful! Hooo... But I digress..."

In Wild World

When accepting the mole cricket, Blathers will impart his knowledge of the bug to the player:

"The mole cricket is a bug, of course, but it resembles a mole! Hence the name. It's clear once you inspect its lower half that it is most definitely a cricket. Blech! Add "imitating moles" to the list of unforgivable things bugs are capable of!"

In City Folk

Blathers will say this when he reluctantly takes the bug:

"As both mole crickets and moles dig holes, it's said many parts of their bodies evolved on similar paths... But the mole is nowhere near as off-putting as this bug... How could they be? Moles don't have antennae."

In New Leaf

"Mole crickets live underground in tunnels they dig themselves, moving freely through soil. Their forelimbs resemble those of moles and are very suitable for digging. They have large wings that enable them to fly, but they can also swim if the need arises. In the past, people used to think the noise they made underground was actually coming from worms."

In New Horizons

"Be warned, there is nowhere one might hide from the mole cricket. This plump pest has powerful front claws made for digging holes, and oh how it loves to burrow underground! A cousin to the grasshopper, it also has wings and can easily take to the air. And I swear this on my pinfeathers... Some have even been seen walking on water! Oh mercy, I may need a moment. This is making me feel rather woozy..."

Gallery

For more images, view this subject's gallery.

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  Animal Crossing

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  Animal Crossing: Wild World

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  Animal Crossing: City Folk

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  Animal Crossing: New Leaf

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  Animal Crossing: New Horizons

Real-world information

A real-life mole cricket, species Gryllotalpa brachyptera.

Mole crickets can be found throughout the world, specifically in more temperate climates. They are nocturnal and hibernate during the winter. They are rarely seen, as they live underground in tunnel networks, but are nonetheless regarded as pests. They have large forelimbs that can be used to dig and swim. They are roughly three to five centimeters long and are omnivores, meaning they eat both plants and animals. In some areas of Asia they are eaten, but only when fried. Mole crickets also appear as a character in another of Nintendo's games: Mother 3.

The mole cricket featured in-game is similar in appearance to Gryllotalpa brachyptera, a mole cricket native to Australia, but it could belong to any of the Gryllotalpidae species.

Names in other languages

	オケラ Okera	Mole cricket
	땅강아지 Ttanggang-aji	Mole cricket
	蝼蛄 Lóugū	Mole cricket
	螻蛄 Unknown
	Медведка Medvedka	Mole cricket
	Veenmol	Mole cricket
	Maulwurfsgrille	Mole cricket
	Grillo cebollero	Mole cricket
	Taupe-grillon	Mole cricket
	Grillotalpa	Mole cricket