Newly hatched grasshoppers look like small adults; they lack wings and sex organs (which have not yet developed). As a grasshopper grows, they shed their outer skin or molt. Grasshoppers can molt four to six times, depending on the sex and or the species, with five molts being the most common. An immature grasshopper between molts is referred to as an instar.
(close)
.jpg "Grasshopper Instar (nymph)")