In the quaint town of Gamboa, nestled near the Panama Canal, a team of scientists embarked on a unique endeavor: attaching red flags onto the legs of crickets and observing how birds respond to them. These eye-catching flags were borrowed from the matador bug (Anisoscelis alipes), an insect renowned for the colorful adornments on its hind legs. This trait has captivated Smithsonian postdoctoral fellow Ummat Somjee for several years, particularly given the matador bug's tendency to wave them. The persisting question: Why does it wave its colorful hind legs?
