OK, at first glance, the Jerusalem cricket is not exactly a charmer.

With that big noggin … beady little eyes … It’s kinda strange.

But just wait.

It’s got some funky moves.

You may know it as a Potato Bug.

Child of the Earth.

Or Devil’s Baby.

But Jerusalem crickets are not really crickets.

And they’re not from Jerusalem, either.

You find them in North and Central America.

And they’re hefty.

Some grow 3 inches long.

And weigh more than a mouse.

They live solitary lives, burrowed into the soil during the day.

But when night falls, they dig themselves out to prowl for some food … and some company.

But since they can’t fly, they can’t go too far to find a mate.

And they don’t see well in the dark.

So they begin a percussive courtship ...

This female starts drumming … booty-shaking a romantic Morse code.

That sound is actually her abdomen hitting the ground.

And she can really drop the beat.

It’s so loud, you and I could hear her 50 feet away.

This guy picks up the message with vibration-sensitive receptors in his legs … and answers back.

For most insects, it’s usually just the male doing the serenading.

But for Jerusalem crickets, it’s a duet.

The female draws out her response, longer than his, so he can find her.

They’ll keep drumming … and drumming … getting closer to each other … … until they hook up and things escalate … quickly.

He’s biting down on her back leg to get into the position.

It’s straight out of the Kama Sutra.

He deposits a packet of sperm called a spermatophore.

The female will use it to fertilize her eggs.

Phew, they’re done.