Many bats use echolocation to find prey items. The ability of moths to hear and react to those clicks has a direct effect on their survival. Some moths cannot hear these clicks and frequently end up as bat popcorn. Other moths, however, have developed a unique bat detection and evasion strategy. They are called tympanate moths because of this feature.
Moth ears are simple structures.
They contain only one to four auditory neurons, compared to our ears which contain thousands of neurons. Nevertheless, they are the moths' secret weapon against bats. With as few as one neuron per ear, a moth can hear a bat up to 100 feet away and tell where that bat is. It can tell the difference between a bat that is closing in for the kill and one that is just cruising by. And it can pick out bat sounds from the cacophony of crickets and katydids on a warm summer night.