High-speed infrared cameras and ultrasonic recorders were set up to record the ensuing moth massacres. The team used fishing line to tether the insects within an enclosed area where they kept eight hungry brown bats. They also threw in a few snout moths-drab brown insects lacking anything like the luna moths’ pompous tails-to serve as controls. The researchers clipped off half of the moths’ wing tails but left the others intact. institutions performed experiments with around 200 unlucky luna moths. ![]() According to research published today in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, that elegant display can muddle bats' sonar and thwart a deadly attack.īiologists from several U.S. When luna moths fly, two long frills on the end of their chartreuse wings spin. Luna moths-the grandiose fairy queens of the North American Lepidoptera ball-can use their tails to divert bats’ attention away from their juicy, delicate bodies. Now, however, scientists have found that even echolocation can be fooled by expendable frills. Insect-eating bats, for one, rely on echolocation-sonar cries that bounce off objects-to locate and capture flying prey. ![]() These tricks buy prey precious time to escape their attacker.Īll of these tactics, however, rely on visual deception, so it would seem that predators using other sensory information would be immune to such strategies. Gaudy eyespots on butterflies and fish encourage predators to strike at the periphery of wings or fins, while some lizard’s bright tails can break off in a confused bird’s mouth. Some even adopt a seemingly desperate, last-ditch method: distract predators into attacking a non-essential part of the body. Animals have evolved countless ways to avoid being eaten, ranging from impeccable camouflage to deadly venom to fortress-like shells.
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