Loudest animal-made amplifier

The two-horned, trumpet-shaped burrow built by the European mole cricket (Gryllotalpa vineae), found throughout Eurasia, serves as a stereo speaker to attract mates. The male stridulates – calls to females – by positioning himself with his head in the bulb and his tail near the fork of the two horns. He stridulates by striking the rear edge of the left forewing, which acts as a plectrum, against the lower surface of the right forewing, which has a ratchet-like series of asymmetric teeth. This generates 3.5 milliwatts of mechanical power which is then amplified by the burrow, creating a sound of up to 115 dB (a sound-level equivalent to a lawnmower) at the mouth of the burrow that can be heard as far as 600 m (1,970 ft) away; even at 50 cm (1 ft 7.5 in) away, the sound pressure level has been logged at 96 dB (Bennet-Clark, 1970). A night-flying G. vineae female should be able to detect the male's song at a range of 30 m (100 ft), which is six times farther away than a typical Gryllus cricket that does not construct a burrow.

Other than humans, a few species of male mole crickets are the only animals known to construct their own sound amplification equipment. According to one 1969 study published in the Journal of Experimental Biology, the mole cricket's song is described as being "so loud that the ground vibrates over a radius of 20 cm [7.8 in] around the hole".

The loudest recorded insect without any form of amplification is the African cicada (Brevisana brevis), which has been known to produce a calling song with a mean sound pressure level of 106.7 decibels at a distance of 50 cm (1 ft 7.5 in). Cicada songs play a vital role in communication and reproduction.