Palaeontology

Scientists recreate the long-lost chorus of Jurassic-era insects

By T.K. Randall
August 27, 2026

Image: AI-generated (Midjourney) Imagine walking through the Jurassic wilds millions of years ago, strange plants dotting the prehistoric landscape and the sound of unfamiliar insects chirping and calling in the background.

This is the scenario that scientists have recently tried to reconstruct for a new study.

To achieve this, the researchers conducted an examination of 20 fossilized wings from 9 different insect species found in Inner Mongolia and which date back some 165 million years.They took particular note of the tooth-like ridges along the sides of the wings which, when rubbed together, would have produced the unique sound typical of insects from that era.

Using computer models, they were then able to reconstruct what this might have sounded like.

Interestingly, while some of the Jurassic-era insects sounded similar to modern crickets, others produced high-frequency sounds more akin to bats than modern insects.

You can hear some of the prehistoric insect calls for yourself in the video below.


Source: Phys.org

Tags: Jurassic, Insects