Jurassic Katydids Sing in Ultrasound, Pre-Bat Era
Researchers reconstructed the calls of 165‑million‑year‑old insects from fossilized wings found in Inner Mongolia, China, using lasers, computer models and AI. Most species produced low calls around 5 kHz, but Sigmaboilus peregrinus likely vocalized above 20 kHz (ultrasonic), making it the oldest known ultrasonic animal vocalization and predating bats. The findings challenge the idea that bat predation was the sole driver of ultrasonic signaling and suggest predators beyond bats and acoustic niche competition shaped early insect communication. The work combined phylogenetics, laser vibrometry, wing‑vibration simulations, and machine learning, and was published in PNAS.