[ad_1]
Nature has beaten humans with stealth technology that protects advanced fighter planes against radar.
Scientists have discovered that some butterflies use exactly the same strategy to avoid being eaten by bats.
Over the course of millions of years, insects have developed a furry "stealth coating" that absorbs the ultrasonic signals emitted by bats.
In the same way, stealth fighters are covered with a coating that absorbs radar signals and prevents their reflection.
Bats use sonar echolocation to navigate and chase prey flying insects.
New research shows how the fur of the chest and wing joints of some species of mites can protect them from hungry bats.
Dr. Thomas Neil, Senior Scientist at the University of Bristol, said: "Thoracic fur provides substantial acoustic stealth at all ecologically important ultrasonic frequencies.
"The chest fur of moths acts as a light porous absorber, facilitating acoustic camouflage and providing a significant survival advantage against bats."
The elimination of fur increased the risk of detecting a moth up to 38%, the researchers found.
The team studied two species of "deaf" butterflies, unable to hear the high-pitched cries of bats.
They were compared to two species of butterflies not hunted by bats.
The fur of the butterflies was thicker than that of the butterflies and could absorb up to 85% of the sound energy striking it.
The research was presented at the annual meeting of the Acoustical Society of America in Victoria, Canada.– Press Association
Source link
