Rare Pink Crickets Bred In Japan

TOKYO, Japan (CBSDFW.COM) - An agricultural college near Tokyo has successfully bred rare pink bush crickets.

They are a species called euconocephalus thunbergi. Chiba Prefecture Agricultural College says the insect is usually green, but mutations can sometimes result in pink ones.

The school says a pink female was found last September in a nearby rice paddy. The school says researchers made it lay eggs without copulation and confirmed 12 pink babies have hatched since late July.

Four of them were shown to the public on Monday, attracting many children and insect fans.

A 5th-grader said she saw pink crickets for the first time and that they were cute. She added that she wants to learn more about them for a research project during the summer holidays.

The college says it is rare for the pink variety to breed through reproduction without copulation.

Associate Professor Toshio Shimizu says the breeding was successful because the cricket was kept in surroundings similar to its natural habitat.