When under attack, walnut sphinx caterpillars (Amorpha juglandis; pictured), whistle. An 1868 Canadian Entomologist paper, “Musical larvae,” first reported these shrieks, but their purpose wasn't clear.
Jayne Yack at Carleton University in Ottawa, Canada, and her team now show that the whistle, produced through openings along the body called spiracles, is a defence against predators. Simulated attacks with blunt tweezers caused the caterpillars to pull their heads back, forcing air through two of the spiracles in a succession of squeaks.
When confronted by their real predators, yellow warblers, the caterpillars whistled each time the birds swooped in for attack, repelling multiple assaults until the warblers gave up.
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Animal behaviour: Caterpillars whistle for safety. Nature 468, 870 (2010). https://doi.org/10.1038/468870c
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/468870c
