Noise Cancelling Moths

Bats hunt at night using echolocation, where they use sound waves and echoes to determine the location of prey. Nocturnal insects, including many species of moths, grew up to hear the ultrasonic calls of bats, but some deaf moths did not hear the ultrasonic calls of bats.

Some types of deaf moths use "noise-cancelling" scales on their bodies to avoid being detected by predators. These hair-like growths absorb up to 85 percent of the sound energy from the bats and act as a "biological stealth coating". Two types of deaf moths – the Antherina suraka and the Callosamia promethean examined by a team from the University of Bristol. They found that the scales on the bodies of these two moths were similar to the fibers used in sound proofing technology.

The researchers then used a technique called sound tomography on insects, which involves expressing ultrasound pulses through a loudspeaker and measuring the strength of the echoes echoing from their body.

The sound tomography technique found that the scales on the body of a moth absorb up to 85 percent of the sound energy coming from a bat and reduce the distance by almost 25 percent. It significantly increases the chances of moth survival.

They also find that; these extraordinary insects were able to achieve the same levels of sound absorption as commercially available technical sound absorbers.

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