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This happened to come up the other day, and since Tsu just sent me a link, here you go.
http://www.almanac.com/outdoors/crickets.php
True or false?
http://www.almanac.com/outdoors/crickets.php
True or false?
Wikipedia said:Dolbear's Law states the relationship between the air temperature and the rate at which Snowy Tree Crickets, Oecanthus fultoni, chirp[1]. It was formulated by Amos Dolbear and published in 1897 in an article called The Cricket as a Thermometer. Dolbear expressed the relationship as the following formula which provides a way to estimate the temperature TF in degrees Fahrenheit from the number of chirps per minute N...
Wikipedia said:...The chirping of the more common field cricket is not as reliably correlated to temperature — its chirping rate varies depending on other factors such as age and mating success.
Crickets are ectothermic animals, meaning their body temperature is regulated by the outside environment rather than internal processes like mammals. When the temperature drops, crickets become less active and their chirping slows down. By counting the number of chirps in a given amount of time, we can estimate the temperature.
The method of using crickets as thermometers is fairly accurate, but it does have limitations. It works best in the range of 55 to 100 degrees Fahrenheit, and is most accurate when the temperature is between 65 and 85 degrees. Additionally, different species of crickets may have slightly different chirping patterns, so it's important to use the correct species for the most accurate results.
This method can be used in most outdoor environments where crickets are present. However, it may not be as accurate in areas with loud background noise, such as cities. Additionally, this method may not work well in very cold or very hot environments where crickets may not be present or active.
Yes, other insects such as grasshoppers and katydids can also act as thermometers in a similar way to crickets. They are also ectothermic and their chirping patterns can be used to estimate the temperature.
Using crickets as thermometers can be a fun and interesting way to estimate the temperature, but it should not be relied upon for precise measurements. Traditional thermometers are more accurate and reliable, but using crickets can be a fun and educational way to engage with the natural world.