Science & Tech · Science & Environment · 3 hrs ago
Hawkmoths evolved several ways to disrupt bats’ sonar
Male hawkmoths make ultrasound to disrupt bats’ sonar when predators close in.
They produce the sounds by rubbing specialized scales on their genital structures against parts of their abdomens.
Researchers found three different sound-making systems among 77 of the 143 hawkmoth species they tested.
The systems use scales, spines or tiny bumps as the surfaces that the scales scrape against.
The defense evolved independently up to seven times, as different hawkmoth lineages developed separate anatomical solutions to the same threat.
Some systems make more continuous sounds, which may be better at jamming the sonar bats use to locate prey.
The findings show hawkmoth defenses are more varied than known, though the study focused on males because female sound production is less well documented.
Hawkmoths have evolved at least three ways to produce ultrasound that may disrupt the sonar bats use to hunt them.
Researchers found that male hawkmoths make the sounds by scraping specialized genital scales against different surfaces on their abdomens.
The researchers tested 143 species, and 77 produced ultrasound.
The defensive ability appears to have evolved independently as many as seven times, over 30 million years.
The findings were published November 4 in the Proceedings of the Royal Society B.
- Who
- Researchers led by Paul Masonick and colleagues studied male hawkmoths.
- What
- The study found three anatomical mechanisms hawkmoths use to produce ultrasound that may disrupt bats’ sonar.
- When
- The findings were published November 4, 2026. The ability evolved independently as many as seven times over 30 million years.
- Where
- The study examined hawkmoths across the family; the researchers’ institutions include the Florida Museum of Natural History and the American Museum of Natural History.
- Why
- The sounds may confuse the echolocation bats use to locate prey.
This story does not have two clearly opposing sides.
Hawkmoths independently evolved the ultrasound-producing defense as many as seven times.
The findings were published in the Proceedings of the Royal Society B.
- Species tested
- 143
- Ultrasound-producing species
- 77
- Sound-making mechanisms
- 3
- Independent evolutionary origins
- As many as 7
- Study publication date
- November 4, 2026
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What people are saying
Clearly the hawkmoths as a whole have more tricks up their sleeve
our findings deepen our understanding of defensive bioacoustic adaptations in this iconic predator-prey system