A word in your ear

David Chapman looks at ears in nature, from myths surrounding earwigs to bats’ echolocation systems and strangely-shaped fungi

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The brown long-eared bat

The Slavonian (or horned) grebe

The black-necked grebe is also known as the eared grebe

As I get older I find myself questioning grammar and the use of language more frequently, mostly because of new words and trendy abbreviations.

The other day I found out that ‘clickbait’ had been added to the dictionary; I assumed it was something that anglers might use to attract fish, but it turns out it’s more to do with ‘phishing’ than fishing.

I keep telling myself that I mustn’t get frustrated by this evolution of language; it is a natural, inevitable process that can be seen in the natural world, too.

Not long ago I accidentally caught my wife, Sarah, on the phone buying me a surprise birthday present, and she told me to stop ‘earwigging’. I hadn’t heard that phrase for a long time, so I decided to explore its derivation. Originally, the term ‘earwigger’ was used to describe a busybody – someone who spreads gossip – but over time it came to describe an eavesdropper: somebody who listens in on the conversations of other people.

But why pick on the earwig... and why is an earwig called an earwig? Well, the insect’s association with ears isn’t a new thing. The scientific name for the common earwig is Forficula auricularia – ‘auricle’ is the term for the part of the ear that is visible on the outside of the head. Some think the name is down to the appearance of its hindwings; others believe it relates to old myths suggesting the insect could shelter in your ear and even tunnel into your brain (in France the earwig is known as the ‘ear-piercer’, and in Germany ‘ear worm’)!

Despite appearances, the tufts on a long-eared owl’s head are not its ears

I have encountered many earwigs while camping, but have never found one in my ear – and although it’s highly unlikely that I ever will, it is true that earwigs do like to crawl into enclosed spaces. Because they are nocturnal, they hide away in tight, dark crevices during the day.

There are other instances of the word ‘ear’ being used erroneously in the names of wildlife species. The ‘wheatear’ is a small bird inhabiting the mountains and moors of Britain. It is a summer migrant that can be seen as it heads south, particularly along the coast. While it’s easy to assume a connection between its name and an ear of wheat, how it actually got its name might surprise you. The wheatear has an obvious white rump, and was historically referred to as a ‘white-arse’. However, in the Victorian era such vulgarities were frowned upon and the name evolved into the less challenging ‘wheatear’.

The long-eared owl surely can’t be mis-named. This beautiful and exceptionally well-camouflaged owl, which breeds in woodland across Britain, is a tricky one to spot; should you chance upon one at rest, it will usually have two tufts standing up from its head. Surely these are its ears? Well, actually they are not – they are nothing more than feathers which have probably evolved to help the bird blend into its surroundings. However, they can be raised or laid flat according to mood, so they may also be used for communication. Incidentally, it is likely that the collective noun for a group of owls – ‘parliament’ – arose from the habit formed by long-eared owls of gathering in large roosts in winter.

Other birds with ear-like tufts on their head include the short-eared owl, and the black-necked and Slavonian grebes. In fact, the black-necked grebe is still quite widely known as the ‘eared grebe’, while the Slavonian grebe’s scientific name is Podiceps auritus.

Body language

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The jelly ear fungus

Earwigs have distinctive pincers

The wheatear’s name has nothing to do with ears!

The distinctive shape of the human ear has inspired the names of several plant and animal species. The jelly ear fungus, usually found growing on dead elder trees, has a brown, fleshy body with a soft, downy surface as well as a series of lobes and wrinkles that together give it a surprisingly ear-like appearance. Likewise, the elephant ear plant is so-named because of its large lobe-shaped leaves, while pairs of small furry leaves give the mouse-ear (a native wildflower) its name.

Of course, sometimes references to ears in species’ names relate to their own ears! One of the best pairs of ears in the natural world belongs to the brown long-eared bat. Bats use echolocation to hunt insects at night: they make sounds, usually through their mouths, which bounce back off prey and are picked up by their very sensitive ears.

It is said that many moths evolved to pick up the sound of the bat’s echolocation system and began to take evasive action – but the brown long-eared bat went one step further and developed a very quiet method (which is why it is sometimes known as the whispering bat). To hear its own echolocations it had to evolve much larger ears; indeed, so large are the ears of this bat that has to tuck them under its wings when resting − imagine having to do that!

Mystery photo

Every month I will show you a photo of something from the natural world. It might be a close-up, or a subject that is difficult to identify. All you have to do is figure out what it is! Here is this month’s photo; no clues or prizes – it’s just for fun. I will give you the answer next month, but if you can’t wait, see the Digital Magazine app.

The subject of August’s mystery photo was: a young gannet.