As an expert in cricket fighting, I feel obliged to share this fun and fact to all of you who are interested.
Several varieties of cricket can fight, but one stood out as the best fighter of all: Gryllus Bimaculatus.
Its common name is the Two-spotted cricket (often used in research and experiments).
Why Gryllus Bimaculatus is the best?
1) Size and strength - although not the biggest cricket specie, it can grow to well over 1 and a half inch long. Its body is thick and firm, making it a powerful fighter.
2) Agressive - This cricket loves to fight. Put two males together and they will fight.
3) Sportsmanship - These crickets follow the strict rules of engagement. One cricket does not byte/attack the other until both are faced head to head, ready to fight; Jaws interlock and push. No cheap shot allowed (i.e. no surprise attacks, and no attacking from behind or on the sides).
4) Dumb - This cricket cannot distinguish between strands of human hair from a rival cricket, making it easy to manipulate. The decoy (strands of hair) allow us to guide the cricket to where we want it to go, and to test if the cricket is ready to fight.
5) Repeatable fighter - When a cricket lost a battle, it can be tricked into fighting again and again, using the swirling flight technique.
6) Chirping - Strong and clean, Its chirping sound is the best of all cricket species, and chirping makes cricket fighting more fun. It's just like the sounding of a big fight.
------------Some Facts about Gryllus Bimaculatus:----------
Habitat:
Found throughout Asia, Africa, and Southern Europe (Meditaranean). Does not exist in America
Size variants:
Size of this cricket varies from place to place. In Vietnam (South-East Asia) for example, it is very big, whereas in Europe, it only averages about 1 inch long.
Food:
Crickets eat pretty much what you would eat. They need both vegetable and meat to stay strong and healthy.
------------Straightening out the Myths------------
- Starving the cricket makes it fight/fight better:
Nonsense, starving the cricket only makes it weak, and weak crickets don't fight well. However, not feeding your cricket for one day is not considered starving.
- Crickets fight to the death:
This almost never happens. Injuries may result from a hard fought battle, but often, a losing cricket would retreat before serious injury is done.
Only in very rare cases will a cricket determined to fight to the death. Such a cricket is insane and would disregard the rules of engagement.
------------Open for Questions---------------------
You got questions? I got answer. Whatever question you may have about fighting crickets, just post it here. I'll be glad to answer.
I had a few feeder crickets from the pet store as pets, and I observed there behavior. Some escaped into my basement, a dark and damp place, sometimes water comes in when it rains out. Male crickets would stake out territory in various corners, and if one crossed the others territory, they would fight! They chirp loudly, then lock jaws, sometimes they would bite an eye or a leg off, but usually it's just alot of chirping. Only once have I seen this when they were caged, it was 2 males and 6 females in the same cage, I guess fighting over who will get to mate. It's interesting, they are tough little guys. This cricket below killed a spider in my basement, then ate it! He is a champion in my book!
