Why moths might be more efficient pollinators than bees and butterflies: Yellow underwing moths were one of the species in the study Eileen Kumpf/Shutterstock If you’ve ever felt underestimated and ignored, spare a thought for your local moths. Honeybees, bumblebees and butterflies are almost synonomous with pollination. People love them for their intimate relationship with …
Moths and bats have been in an evolutionary battle for millions of years – and we’re still uncovering their tricks: Moths have evolved extraordinary tricks to fend off bat attacks. Todd Cravens/Wikimedia There aren’t many better examples of two species embroiled in an intense struggle for survival than bats and moths. These two animals are …
Emperor moths in the rock art of the Namib Desert shed new light on shamanic ritual: Emperor moth cocoon rattles on the ankles of a ritual dancer, Kalahari, 1959. Jurgen Schadeberg, courtesy Claudia Schadeberg via Rock Art Research Institute, Wits University Not every archaeological discovery is made by opening the tomb of a long dead …
Moths use acoustic decoys to dodge bat attacks – new research: Agami Photo Agency/Shutterstock In dark skies around the world there unfolds a nightly battle between bats and the nocturnal insects upon which they feast. You’d have thought bats, equipped as they are with echolocation, in which they navigate using sound, would have no trouble gobbling …
Climate change is forcing butterflies and moths to adapt – but some species can’t: The silver-studded blue butterfly is among that species that may be flexible enough to thrive. Callum Macgregor, Author provided Butterflies are rather like Goldilocks, preferring conditions to be neither too hot nor too cold, but “just right”. Under climate change, the …