Ugliest Animal Challenge - Beauty Is Relative, But This Is Absolute, Amazing Nature (AN)

Hello nature-loving friends, wherever you are, I hope you are all healthy and happy so you can go about your daily activities as usual. I hope you all have a wonderful day.

In this blog, I'm taking part in the April challenge held by our beloved community, the Ugliest Animal Challenge.
In this challenge, I've chosen the Bush Cricket, also known as the Lesser Sword Grasshopper, which belongs to the Orthoptera family, along with the grasshopper, as the candidate for the ugliest animal.

So, please continue following my blog to see this animal through the images I share, along with brief explanations of each animal.

Difficult choice

When I first saw the title of this April's contest challenge, several options crossed my mind, one of which was a monkey.

However, after some discussion, I ultimately decided to look for another animal that met the main judging criteria. I felt the animals I needed right now were ugly, strange, and unusual.

So, I took the initiative to focus on small animals. One reason is because I like aesthetic images. It's not that large animals make images unaesthetic. However, considering that the camera I use is a cell phone, it's a bit difficult for me to capture images of large animals from angles with simple equipment that create aesthetic images. I felt a small animal was the right choice. Besides being easy to capture, it's also very interesting to explore the main judging criteria, one of which is being unusual.

Looking for a Fun Area

The green open space is the perfect place for me to look for small animals. As a farmer and often accompanying my uncle on plantation trips, I found it easy to find open areas with small animals.

Furthermore, the unique atmosphere of green open spaces with pristine forests makes a unique impression on me. The serene atmosphere and cool air make the challenge of finding small animals even more lively. And when it drizzles, I think you can imagine how that atmosphere makes me nostalgic for my childhood. It's a little scary, but I can confirm that it's one of the most memorable experiences I've ever had as a child. Have you ever been caught in an open space with pristine forests and drizzling rain as a child?

Interesting things I found

Besides completing this month's challenge, I also discovered some interesting things in the open air.

One of them is a wild plant, a childhood pastime I enjoyed, as I often picked the fruit from these plants. When I dipped the fruit in water, it would explode.

I think I'll share a blog post about this plant in the future, as it's very interesting to me.

And finally, I found a candidate for the ugliest animal challenge: the Bush Cricket, better known as the Lesser Sword Grasshopper.

My friend...
The reason I chose this little creature was because its antennae are longer than its body, making it unique. Its legs are skewed, making it appear thin and awkward, making it unusual. And most importantly, its overall shape is what made me personally choose it as the ugliest animal candidate. Besides, its perch was perfect, on the edge of a thin leaf, making the image look aesthetically pleasing.

I'm also very satisfied with the results of the image I took with this simple cell phone. The focus is sharp and the background is blurred, making it (Aesthetically Ugly) in my opinion.

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Meets the criteria, Ugly, Strange and Uncommon

From the whole, I can conclude that this small insect is very ugly in my personal opinion, its antennae are 3 times longer than its body, its bulging black round eyes to its color combination that I don't like at all which looks very strange, and apart from that, what makes the criteria unusual is that the majority of us think that grasshoppers are green with a decent size, but this one? I can say that in my opinion this insect looks transparent, what do you all think friends?

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Which makes it look scary

My friend....
For me personally, he looks very scary, one of the reasons is because of his eyeballs, which give a very scary impression, besides that, this insect is also still a nymph or young insect whose diet consists mostly of plants but occasionally they can also be predators (I personally don't know the diet of this type of nymph, please correct me if I'm wrong) then you can imagine if its size is the size of a palm, how scary the jaw of the insect is.

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Interesting Things About It

My friend...
Although I chose this insect as the ugliest animal candidate, we also need to know its interesting factors. Its long antennae are sophisticated sensors that can detect threats and find food. Besides that, I think you have often heard the sound of crickets, and I can say that they are Nature's Musicians. How could they not? Male crickets sing with their wings to call females. Another interesting factor I found on the internet is that in many cultures, crickets are a symbol of perseverance.

Alright, my friends, those are some of the images I'm sharing at this meeting. I chose one of the nymphs (young insects) as a candidate for the ugliest animal to participate in the April challenge held by this beloved community.

I hope you all enjoy and are entertained by what I've shared, and that there are also a few lessons we can learn from this simple blog of mine:

"Ugly? Yes, strange? Yes, scary? Yes, too. Try staring at it for 5 seconds, and you'll surely find this insect quite frightening. But precisely because it's imperfect, it's proof that nature is truly fascinating. And despite its ugly appearance, it possesses extraordinary abilities, one of which is its antennae."

This insect also taught me that not all imperfections need to be hidden. Sometimes the most honest are the most different, and within those imperfections lies a strength that most people rarely know.

That's all for now.

Please leave comments, support, and input, as it means a lot to me, so I can make this blog even better in the future.
Greetings everyone.
See you in the next contest.

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Camera used	Handphone
Lens	64 mp
F-stop
Iso speed	ISO
Focal length	MM
Photography	Conocephalus ictus
Photographer	@antonydossantos

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About the author

Maulizar Mawardi or better known as @antonydossantos. I am a student. Like taking pictures, but not a professional photographer, insect lover, nature lover, looking for momentum is my hobby.

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Link to original	community
Link	https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/356062643

Latitude	Longitude	Map
5.1582698	96.6236171	https://www.openstreetmap.org/?mlat=5.1582698008&mlon=96.6236171319#map=12/5.1583/96.6236