Ancient katydid ancestors sang in Jurassic forests
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Scientists reconstructed the sounds made by katydid ancestors that lived in a Jurassic rainforest in China, revealing a surprisingly musical soundscape.
Researchers analysed fossils of extinct ensiferans, the group including katydids, crickets, and grigs, to understand how these insects created sounds by moving their wings. The team discovered microscopic teeth on one wing that scraped against another wing, creating vibrations and forming the basic units of their songs.
By simulating wing acoustics from 20 fossils representing nine extinct species, and referencing living relatives, the scientists recreated the calls of these ancient insects. They used a machine learning model, informed by modern ensiferan characteristics and Jurassic temperatures, to estimate the rhythm of the calls. The resulting chorus revealed clear, musical tones, potentially helping the insects communicate with mates while avoiding detection by predators.
One species even produced calls in the ultrasound, a frequency it evolved nearly 100 million years before bats developed the ability to hear it. Scans of the insects’ fossilized ears, located on their forelegs, confirm they could likely hear the calls of their own kind. Researchers are now investigating whether this ancient soundscape drove the evolution of hearing in early mammals, though other scientists caution that the insects may simply have been plentiful food for the mammals.
