Spinning Hindtails of Luna Moths Fool Bat Sonar

Posted on February 19, 2015

A new study has found that the luna moth can use its long hindtails as a way to avoid becoming a tasty meal for a bat. The study by University of Florida and Boise State University researchers found the spinning hindtails lures bats into striking a false target. The finding suggests luna moths have evolved long tails in an evolutionary war against bats, a predator using echolocation.

The researchers observed bats preying on moths using high-speed infrared cameras and ultrasonic microphones. The study founds that luna moths with tails were 47% more likely to survive a bat attack than moths without tails. Bats targeted the tail during 55% of their attacks. The researchers say this suggests that the moths may lure bats to the tails to make an attack more survivable. A report in Science magazine says another study involved tethering two moths to a ceiling - one with hindtails and the other without. Brown bats were let loose in the room and 81% of the tailless were eaten but only 35% of the moths with tails intact became bat food. Take a look:

Akito Kawahara, assistant curator of Lepidoptera at the Florida Museum of Natural History, says in a statement, "This finding expands our knowledge of anti-predator deflection strategies and the extent of a long-standing evolutionary arms race between bats and moths."

Kawahara also says, "When you pit them against bats, bats can't find the moths. They go to the tail instead of the head. When you look at Lepidoptera collections, you see moths with really short tails and some with extremely long tails. This also is an example of the important role biological collections serve as repositories of patterns and processes of biodiversity."

Here is a photo of a luna moth with curved hindtails:

A research paper on the luna moths' bat fooling tails is published here in the journal, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.



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