How does a cricket make such a sound by just rubbing its legs together
In: Biology
Most people already answered this, but a fun fact about cricket chirps is that you can use them to approximate the temperature outside. Count the number of chirps in 15 s, then ad 37.
Also, what are the rules to cricket? The sport and the insect are so mysterious.
[deleted]
Get a comb and run a fingernail along the ends of the teeth – crickets have structures that are very similar on their legs, and they rub them together.
[removed]
[removed]
I started google searching because the other comments were trying to lead you to believe a thousand people stroking their combs would become very loud (which just doesn’t seem right) and found:
[https://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/6fs9t3/eli5_how_do_crickets_get_so_loud/](https://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/6fs9t3/eli5_how_do_crickets_get_so_loud/)
u/superspifffy: A large vein running along the bottom of each wing has “teeth,” much like a comb does. The chirping sound is created by running the top of one wing along the teeth at the bottom of the other wing. As he does this, the cricket also holds the wings up and open, so that the wing membranes can act as acoustical sails. [Video with further info](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bjcg4eCcihE)
Did you ever make a comb-kazoo as a kid? Or a tissue box “guitar”? Rub a wet finger on the edge of a glass? On their own, these things are quiet, but put together with their respective components and a noise is created. A small vibrating object, vibrating against trapped air, and you get a loud noise. It’s a bit like tapping on a rock v. tapping on a drum, the drum is loud because trapped air is forced to vibrate a LOT more than the ‘free’ air around the rock.
Crickets have miniatures of these on their bodies. They don’t simply rub their legs together, they rub a spur or comb against a hollow “blister” on their leg or body or wing. The blister resonates MUCH more loudly than the simple rubbing action might imply at first glance.
The result is the loud sound you hear!
The bottom of a [cricket](https://www.wonderopolis.org/wonder/how-do-crickets-talk-2#) [wing](https://www.wonderopolis.org/wonder/how-do-crickets-talk-2#) is covered with teeth-like ridges that make it rough. The upper surface of the [wing](https://www.wonderopolis.org/wonder/how-do-crickets-talk-2#) is like a [scraper](https://www.wonderopolis.org/wonder/how-do-crickets-talk-2#). When crickets rub the upper and lower parts of their wings together, they create a chirping sound called “stridulating.”
copy/paste from [https://www.wonderopolis.org/wonder/how-do-crickets-talk-2](https://www.wonderopolis.org/wonder/how-do-crickets-talk-2)
I recall a city dweller saying he feared crickets, since any insect that made that much noise must be huge and probably dangerous..
Latest Answers