No fall evening feels the same without the steady, rhythmic chorus of cricket song. The sound conjures up starlit nights, the spicy smell of fallen leaves, and the warmth of a crackling fire. Crickets sing for the same reason frogs and birds do: to attract a mate. A male cricket rubs its wings together in an act called stridulation.
The bottom of one wing has a hardened edge, or “scraper,” while the bottom of the other has a toothed ridge, or “file.” Each time the scraper hits a tooth, a click is produced. This causes the wings themselves to vibrate, creating the familiar cricket sound we all know so well! Because the rubbing is so fast, these individual clicks blend together into more musical chirrups or trills.
Did you know?
Different species of insects produce distinctive song patterns! Sometimes it’s hard to tell the difference between a cricket’s song and those of other insects. Here are some of the more common sounds they make. How many do you recognize?
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