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The Evolutionary Race Between Moths and Bats

Season 1 Episode 2 | 7m 55s

In Sumacó, Ecuador, Entomologists Jesse Barber and Akito Kawahara study the centuries-long evolutionary arms race between moths and bats. Moths have had to develop a wide range of bizarre and clever defenses to combat the threat of bats, from emitting toxic smells to jamming bats’ echolocation sonar with their thorax, Kawahara and Barber describe this fascinating battle in the night sky.

Extras
On the plains of South Africa, an army of dung beetles recycle the dung of large mammals.
Ummat Somjee goes to Thailand to observe the cultural tradition of fighting beetles.
Gavin Svenson heads to the Brazilian rainforest to sample the diversity of mantises.
Dragonfly expert Jessica Ware heads to Guyuna to sample dragonfly diversity.
Monarch butterflies winter in the fir forests of Michoacan, Mexico, after an epic migration.
A four-part investigation into insect declines, exploring their diversity and ecological importance.
Urban Ecologist Sylvana Ross visits Baltimore, Maryland, to find Tapinoma Sessile.
Evolutionary Biologist Ummat Somjee describes his research on Flag-footed bugs in Panamá.
Beetles are the world’s most abundant animals, called “the most important species on the planet.”
Praying mantises and aquatic insects reveal cunning physical adaptations for ruthless survival.
Pollinators – bees, moths and butterflies – bring color to the world and put food on our plates.
Could a world without insects survive? Scientists investigate the global insect “apocalypse.”