Wild Things: Spider Monkeys, Fire Ants, Hagfish and More...
Dinosaur "thunder thighs" and fast-flying moths
- By Arcynta Ali Childs, T.A. Frail, Megan Gambino, Brian Switek and Sarah Zielinski
- Smithsonian magazine, May 2011
Silver Y Moth (Autographa / Plusia gamma) Surrey, England (Kim Taylor / Naturepl.com)
A songbird can fly about three times as fast as the silver Y moth over short distances. But during long-distance seasonal migrations, moths travel just as fast as birds, say scientists from Sweden's Lund University and elsewhere. They tracked birds and moths using radar and found that both averaged 18 to 40 miles per hour. The moth's trick: it waited for favorable tail winds or sought altitudes with fast-moving air. The bird's edge: it flew in most conditions.
Learn more about the silver Y moth at the Encyclopedia of Life.
Additional Sources
"Traditions in Spider Monkeys Are Biased towards the Social Domain," Claire J. Santorelli et al., PLoS ONE, February 23, 2011
"Convergent patterns of long-distance nocturnal migration in noctuid moths and passerine birds," Thomas Alerstam et al., Proceedings of the Royal Society B, March 9, 2011
"Adaptations to in situ feeding: novel nutrient acquisition pathways in an ancient vertebrate," Chris N. Glover et al., Proceedings of the Royal Society B, March 2, 2011
"Global Invasion History of the Fire Ant Solenopsis invicta," Marina S. Ascunce et al., Science, February 25, 2011
"A new sauropod dinosaur from the Lower Cretaceous Cedar Mountain Formation, Utah, USA," Michael P. Taylor et al., Acta Paleontologica Polonica, March 2011
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