Cicadas, a superfamily consisting of winged insects, live underground and emerge at regular intervals of one to thirteen years. Find out more facts about Cicadas. Continue reading this post until the end!!
Over 3,000 species are found worldwide, but seven species of periodic cicadas are common in eastern North America.
Long-lived arthropods have long lives and are sturdy, green or brown, with transparent wings. Their loud singing and golden skins that they leave on trees are their best assets.
Cicada education is becoming more important because some species are at high risk of extinction from climate change. Explore more facts about Cicadas!!
Facts About Cicadas
1. Cicadas Live on All Continents Except Antarctica
Cicadoldea, the superfamily, is divided into two subfamilies. Tettigarctidae, also known as hairy cicadas, are almost extinct, but two species still exist in Australia and Tasmania. Cicadidae can be found on every continent except Antarctica. They are at their best in warm environments, especially the tropics, which make Latin America, Australia, Southeast Asia, and the Western Pacific and South Africa hotspots.
More than 170 species have been described in the U.S. and Canada. The U.S. is home to 15 “broods,” which are groups of cicadas with different life cycles.
2. Cicadas live on all continents except Antarctica
Cicadidae is found on every continent except Antarctica. Cicadidae thrives in warm environments such as the tropics. This makes places like Australia, Latin America, and the Western Pacific hotspots a good place to find cicadas.
3. Cicadas are now available: Are they toxic to your pet?
Cicadas cannot eat and get nutrients from tree roots.
Cicadas lack jaws, so they can’t eat or even bite. They will, however, use a straw-like appendage, which suckers fluids from roots and trees. The 13- and 17-year-old broods wouldn’t survive underground without these fluids and nutrients.
4. They can be louder than construction equipment or motorcycles.
You’ve probably seen a lot of cicadas, and you know how loud they are. How loud are they? The average Cicada can make mating calls between 80 and 100 decibels (dB). This is comparable to an excavator’s 80dB, a church bell’s 70dB, or a motorcycle’s 88dB.
5. Cicada rain or “honeydew.”
They drink lots of fluids, and excess fluids will end up in their urine. It can seem like a spit for some people, but it is actually “cicada rain,” which many call “honeydew.”
6. It is still not clear what their circadian rhythms mean.
Cicadas may have an internal clock calibrated by environmental cues such as changes in fluid flow at tree roots. This is believed to be how cicadas keep track of the years until they can emerge and mat.
Also, check out 25 Facts About Guinea Pigs!!
7. Some cicadas may explode from fungus
Ophiocordyceps is a group of parasitic fungi that specialize in invading cicadas’ bodies. These fungi can infect cicadas underground. They will then climb back up from the ground, killing them and exploding their mushrooms.
8. Cicadas have a foe that will eat their flesh
Cicada Killer is a wasp that can grow to as much as two inches in length. Females hunt cicadas after mating. The wasp injects a poison that paralyzes victims when they wrestle in mid-air. The wasp then takes the Cicada back into its burrow, places an egg, and seals it in a chamber. The egg hatches after two to three days and then eats the live Cicada for about a week.
9. Animals? Humans do not eat them.
Cicadas are eaten by many other animals, including their natural predators. It is more common than you might think. Although the exact taste of Cicada Tacos varies from person to person, many people compare them to asparagus. Leesburg’s Cicada Tacos are now available from a local chef. They taste like shrimp, according to many.
10. Cicadas may use strange life cycles to avoid predators
Scientists are still unsure why certain species of cicadas only mate once in 13 to 17 years. The theory is that the prime number of the life cycle may have evolved over millions to keep it from ever synchronizing with predatory populations. These species tend to rise and then fall on two to ten-year cycles.
End of the story:
Cicadas are among the loudest insects we know. They can produce sounds up to 120 decibels in a swarm (how sound is measured). This is louder than a rock concert.
These fun facts about Cicada are great! Stay tuned for more incredible facts!!
