Cardiovascular System of the Grasshopper
Like most insects, grasshoppers have an open circulatory system. The "heart" of a grasshopper is actually a series of chambers along the aorta that runs the length of a grasshopper's body. These chambers are separated by valves called ostia. The ostial valves ensure the one-way flow of blood. A pair of alary muscles are attached to the walls of each chamber. Peristaltic contractions of these muscles propel blood forward through each chamber of the heart and along the aorta. The aorta releases the blood near the brain where it bathes the organs of the head. The blood finds its way back to the heart through something called the alimentary canal, which like the aorta, also runs the length of the grasshopper's body. Once the blood reaches the abdomen it re-enters the heart so the process can happen again.