WIKIMEDIA, GEOFF GALLICE
In the first experimental test of a 112-year-old theory, the tails of luna moths helped save the insects from hunting bats by distracting the flying mammals’ sonar, researchers reported this week (February 17) in PNAS.
The function of the North American moths’ two graceful nearly 4-cm-long tails has long been a topic of scientific study. They are not required for flight and are unlikely to play a role in attracting mates, as the insects are nocturnal and do not appear to be selective about their sexual partners. In 1903, entomologist Archibald Weeks suggested that the tails might create air patterns similar to those generated by wings that could confuse bats using echolocation to hunt.
To test this idea, researchers from Boise State University, the University ...
