Graduation Year
2015
Graduation Month
May
Document Type
Thesis
Degree Name
Bachelor of Science
School or Department
Wildlife Biology
Major
Wildlife Biology – Terrestrial
Faculty Mentor Department
Biological Sciences, Division of
Faculty Mentor
Erick Greene
Keywords
mimicry, Amorpha juglandis, caterpillars, alarm calls, songbirds
Subject Categories
Behavior and Ethology | Ecology and Evolutionary Biology
Abstract
Caterpillar species possess a range of anti-predator defenses, from regurgitation to sonar jamming. The North American walnut sphinx caterpillar (Amorpha juglandis) produces a variety of whistling noises when pinched. Limited observations indicate that this causes avian predators to retreat, leaving the caterpillar alone. However, it is unknown why this whistle is such an effective deterrent. Interestingly, the A. juglandis whistle is acoustically similar to the “seet” alarm call that many bird species produce in response to their own predators. We propose that the A. juglandis whistle is a form of acoustic mimicry, in which the caterpillar protects itself by mimicking bird alarm calls. We tested this hypothesis by playing recordings of A. juglandis whistles, chickadee seet calls, and a control sound to flocks of small songbirds and comparing the birds’ responses to the different stimuli. Birds tended to freeze or dive for cover in response to the seet call and two types of caterpillar whistles. Our results suggest that these caterpillar whistles may protect caterpillars by mimicking the alarm calls of their avian predators.
Honors College Research Project
Yes
Recommended Citation
Lindsay, Jessica, "Why do Caterpillars Whistle? Acoustic Mimicry of Bird Alarm Calls in the Amorpha juglandis Caterpillar" (2015). Undergraduate Theses, Professional Papers, and Capstone Artifacts. 60.
https://scholarworks.umt.edu/utpp/60
Included in
© Copyright 2015 Jessica Lindsay