When attacked, the North American walnut sphinx lets out a
full-body scream that can reach up to 80 decibels in volume.
October 02, 2017
North American walnut sphinx caterpillars tend to do
more chewing than chatting, but when they’re an open beak away from
becoming lunch, they’ll let out screams that shake them to their very
core—and leave their predators shook, too. The two-inch-long
larva contracts its body muscles to lets out an
imitation seet call—a warning cry some songbirds emit when facing
imminent danger such as a hawk. The theory is that this tricks its avian assailants into stopping their attacks and
flying away, ensuring the safety of the otherwise vulnerable insect.
To test the success of the caterpillar's cries, Jessica
Lindsay, an undergraduate student at the University of Washington, set up an
experiment to analyze the birds' responses. After recording the
insect's sounds—which can be as loud as a freight train from 50 feet
away—she played them back to wild flocks at feeders. She then did the
same with real seets from Black-capped Chickadees and
compared the two sets of reactions. Turns out, both calls made
the would-be diners dive for cover. Her results, presented at the International Symposium on
Acoustic Communication by Animals in July, were first
reported by The
Scientist.
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