Can a potato bug scream?

Potato bugs, more commonly known as Jerusalem crickets, cannot scream in the same sense that a human can because they do not have vocal chords. However, they are able to produce a high-pitched or raspy sound by rubbing their hind legs against their abdomen.

Jerusalem crickets usually make their high-pitched sound to ward off predators. This sound can sometimes be confused for a scream. A Jerusalem cricket is not a true cricket. It is a member of a different species called Stenopelmatidae. They do not have the wings or the structures on them to make the same noises as crickets. To communicate, they create vibrations by drumming their abdomen on the ground.