Jamming bat echolocation: the clicks of arctiid moths

Abstract

Analysis of the clicks produced by some arctiid moths shows that their acoustic characteristics (power spectra and frequency–time structures) are remarkably similar to those of frequency-modulated echolocation calls produced by many bats as they close with their prey. We suspect that the clicks are initially processed as echoes by the auditory systems of these bats and function by interfering with information processing by the bat.