[1][2] Most populations are identifiable by their shiny black bodies with contrasting yellow markings, but some adults (frequent in parts of Mexico, rare in the United States) are mostly yellowish, orangish or greenish.

The aposematic coloration warns vertebrate predators of its unpalatability and allows the grasshopper to roost conspicuously upon shrubs.

In the United States, it ranges from the Chihuahuan Desert in southeastern Arizona, through southern New Mexico, to the Big Bend region of southwestern Texas.

[3][7][8] In Mexico, it ranges from the US border through the Mexican Plateau, Sierra Madre Oriental, the Transvolcanic Belt and along the country's Pacific coastal region south to Guerrero.

[12] In some parts of Mexico, adults that are mostly yellowish, orangish or greenish (instead of largely black) are regularly encountered, but in the United States they are rare and most frequently seen in Arizona.

[1] Dark adults and nymphs of Romalea microptera (eastern lubber grasshopper) are similar to and frequently confused with T. eques.

[12] However, most T. eques cannot fly; all females are flightless and only approximately 10 percent of adult males possess wings long enough for flight.

T. eques only forages during daylight hours; at night it roosts near the tops of desert shrubs to hide from nocturnal ground predators.

At dawn, it descends to the desert floor to feed on the annual plant species which are abundant following summer rains.

It can detect odors to find mammal and insect carcasses, which may provide a source of protein and nitrogen in the diet.

The number of egg pods laid is dependent upon the rate of development in the adults and the time available before the frost sets in.

[3] Despite its large size, T. eques has a relatively speedy rate of larval development, undergoing five nymphal molts to reach the adult stage in about 40 days.

[3] Thermoregulation is necessary for all essential life functions of T. eques and most other behaviors, including food consumption and digestion, predator escape, reproduction, walking, flying, and ovipositing.

The desert environment of T. eques is often unpredictable and allows the grasshopper only about four months, the time between the onset of the summer rains and the arrival of the winter freeze, to complete its entire life cycle.

Elevating body temperature for extended periods allows T. eques to metabolize faster, thus permitting maximum growth and reproduction before the onset of winter.

Flanking occurs when the grasshopper orients its body perpendicular to sunlight, maximizing thoracic heat gain.

The chemical secretion has a strong coffee-vanilla odor and composed of a complex mixture of synthesized phenolics and plant toxins produced from the grasshopper's diet.

[16] The species relies on a comprehensive aposematic display containing chemical deterrents, and visual and auditory elements for defense against vertebrate predators.

For example, when attacked by mice, the grasshoppers spray the odorous secretion from their metathoracic spiracles while producing a hissing noise.

[17][18] Multiple phenotypic traits interact in T. eques since chemical defense from vertebrates releases the species from the need to be small and hidden.

It speeds growth by thermoregulation mechanisms including dark color and solar exposure positions, both allowed only because of chemical defense.