Insect With Ear-Piercing Mating Call

This insect might be small but it definitely knows how to make a big sound. The two-inch long cicada was filmed emitting its ear-piercing mating call while perched on tree bark in Cavite, Philippines, on June 16. The high-pitched din similar to that of a grasshopper caught the attention of passer-by. They said: ''Warning, he's loud.'' They added that the toe-curling sound worked for the little bug and within a short time he had attracted a suitable mate who perched on the opposite side of the tree to bask in the not-so-dulcet tones. Yves added: ''The first thing I thought when I took the video was that it sounded like the old dial-up internet tone from the 1990s. ''We might not like the sound, but it worked for the insect and I took a picture of the female that arrived on the left side of the branch.''