Reported by Science News, the first ever recordings of a caterpillar’s voice have recently been captured by researchers.
While caterpillars do not use their mouths to breathe, one species – the Nessus sphinx hawk moth larvae – do have the capacity to inhale and exhale through their mouths. And that’s exactly what these little bugs do when they feel threatened.
When something disturbs them, such as a predator trying to bite at them, they will inhale a large amount of air before letting out a sharp hissing sound followed by some sort of burping noise. Confusing and difficult to describe, it is theorized this sound is likely used to startle predators and ward off would-be attackers, given that the caterpillar has seemingly no other reason for doing this and no other natural defenses it could utilize in times of distress.
This discovery was made by animal behaviorist Jayne Yack of Carleton University, actually making it the fourth sound-producing method she and her colleagues have found in the insects. Other species of caterpillar may use breathing pores along their bodies or mouthpieces rubbed together for making sound, but the Amphion floridensis of this study is the only one with a true “voice” so far.
Based on the data collected so far, it is believed these sounds are two fold, with the inhale responsible for the sharp hissing noise while the exhale through a constricted throat creates the sputtered burping. There also does not seem to be any specialized sound-making organs within the gut where air is stored, meaning whatever creates these distinct noises is entirely dependent on the animal’s own actions.
Though called a “voice”, there is unfortunately no sign currently that caterpillars could potentially use these sounds as a means of communication with one another, as none have been observed doing anything of the sort while under study or in the wild.
