The sound of copulating flies
In order to test the theory that noisy copulating animals are at greater risk of being found and eaten by predators, German researchers mounted "dead, noiseless fly pairs" on the ceiling of a shed. The bats that lived in the shed ignored them. But when the researchers played the sound of copulating flies through loudspeakers, the bats attacked the loudspeakers. So, theory proven!
Max-Planck-Gesellschaft has a video of the bats attacking the speakers, but unfortunately the video has no sound. And below is a youtube video of some copulating flies -- but again, you can't hear the flies, just some people in the background. So I still don't know what copulating flies sound like.
Max-Planck-Gesellschaft has a video of the bats attacking the speakers, but unfortunately the video has no sound. And below is a youtube video of some copulating flies -- but again, you can't hear the flies, just some people in the background. So I still don't know what copulating flies sound like.
Comments
Yo! Buzzzzzzzz! To the right, TO THE RIGHT! There, Buzzzzzzz! Right there, Buzzzzzzzzzzzzz!
Posted by Expat47 in Athens, Greece on 07/27/12 at 09:14 AM
After some searching it seems that they get so into it that they go ultrasonic! That's some serious ah.... happiness!
Posted by Expat47 in Athens, Greece on 07/27/12 at 09:19 AM
So they mounted pairs of flies to the ceiling, that is some serious 'got nothing better to do' activity right there. Perhaps bats do not eat carrion and the sound annoys them because they navigate by echolocation.
Posted by Patty in Ohio, USA on 07/27/12 at 11:21 AM
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Category: Animals | Insects and Spiders | Science | Experiments | Sexuality