Dolphins
and crickets might have more in common than you think.
A
large group of insects that includes crickets and katydids is believed to share
a hearing feature with toothed whales like dolphins, according to a new study.
For
insects in the Ensifera group, sound is known to be detected by ear drums on
the front legs. Researchers looking at the Auckland tree weta, a species in
this group, then discovered that noise passes through a sound-transmitting
lipid (a compound that includes oils and fats) to get to the insect's hearing
organs.
Posts
