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Posted by on Oct 2, 2015 in TellMeWhy |

Do Insects Have Ears?

Do Insects Have Ears?

Yes. Many insects have ears, although they do not look much like ours. They hear with help from some very unusual ears. The ears of many insects are not on their heads. Crickets and katydids have their ears on their front legs just below the knees.

Each ear looks like a little patch of cellophane. The ears are actually membranes that work something like our eardrums. Moths and grass hoppers catch sound on their abdomens. Mosquitoes can feel sounds of vibrations through feelers or antennas, on their heads.

Night butterflies have ears on their wings so they can avoid bats. Most insects can hear only the high-pitched sounds similar to those they make themselves. Even though countless numbers of these insects have been dissected, no one has really understood the structures of these insects ears.

Content for this question contributed by Jessica Hunter, resident of McMurray, Peters Township, Washington County, Pennsylvania, USA