Sunday 4 March 2018

This Caterpillar Makes Noise the Same Way a Tea Kettle Does


By Laura Geggel, Senior Writer | February 26, 2018 06:00pm ET

Caterpillars aren't known for being noisy — except, perhaps, for the chomping sounds they make while munching on leaves — but hawkmoth and sphinx moths are far rowdier, producing clicks, whistles and other sounds when attacked by hungry predators.

However, it wasn't immediately clear how some of these voracious insects were making such weird noises — in particular, the Nessus sphinx hawkmoth caterpillar (Amphion floridensis), which emits a faint cry that sounds like a mix between spitting and static.

Now, researchers have solved that puzzle: the brownish-red caterpillars create sound the same way that jet engines roar and tea kettles whistle, they said. [Meet the Colorful Nocturnal Moths of 'Mariposas Nocturnas' (Photos)]



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