News Animals

Crickets and flies face off in a quiet evolutionary battle

New, stealthy songs help crickets evade parasitic flies. But the flies are striking back

A cricket faces a fly on a leaf in Hawaii.

A Pacific field cricket comes face to face with a parasitic fly in Hawaii. The crickets softened their chirps when the flies started hunting them. Now, the flies are picking up on the stealthy tune.

N. Lee

By Jake Buehler

Hawaii’s male crickets can’t hide from their buzzing boogeymen for long.