Rare pink grasshopper spotted in Texas

AUSTIN, Texas — Grasshoppers of the green and brown varieties are extremely common in Texas.

But did you know grasshoppers can also be pink?

On Sunday, Allison Barger sent ABC affiliate KVUE photos of an extremely rare pink grasshopper that her 3-year-old son, Brooks, found in their garden in southwest Austin.

According to National Geographic, this rare pink morph typically happens in the common meadow grasshopper and the pink grasshoppers get their blushing color from an unusual genetic mutation called erythrism, which is caused by a recessive gene similar to the one that affects albino animals.

The mutation either results in a reduction or absence of normal pigment and/or excessive production of other pigments – like red, which can result in pink morphs in these sprightly insects. National Geographic said that although this mutation was first discovered in a katydid species in 1887, it's extremely rare to see these pink morphs.