Cool Facts About The Cicada

• The name, Cicada, comes directly from the Latin term cicada which means “tree cricket”, which you will soon find out, makes a lot of sense.
• An adult cicada typically measures  2 – 5 cm in length (0.79–2.0 in), but some tropical species in Malaysia can reach up to 15 cm (5.9 in). Wow!
• There are around 3000 cicada species found throughout the world from the Americas to Australia, Africa to Asia. As you might expect, Antarctica is the only place void of any Cicada activity (so they are smart insects)
• Cicadas are a real treat in some cultures across the globe, where they are considered a delicacy. Deep fried cicadas, anyone?

The Fascinating Life Cycle of an Insect

Cicadas are cyclic insects that emerge as adults on an annual basis, somewhere in the middle of May, however there are some species that take up to 17 years to go from larvae to adult, which is crazy when you think about it. After all, these are insects – not well developed mammals. Basically these insect nymphs crawl onto a tree where they shed their skin and allowing the adult insect to crawl out. Most of the cicadas burry themselves in the ground where they feed on the sap of plants roots until they acquire enough strength for full development (as mentioned, in some cases it takes 17 years …that is a lot of sap).

Singing the Blues

Male cicadas are well known musicians in their habitat (and very loud as well).

Why do cicadas sing loudly?

Well, because they need to attract the perfect mate to pass their genes on to the next generation. So, this is their way to tell the female cicadas that they are available and looking for a date.

How do they produce these loud noises?

Well, cicadas are equipped with “tymbals” on the sides of their abdominal base. These tymbals are a formation that has a thin membrane and thickened “ribs”. This way they use the tymbals as a natural build in accordion and make clicking sound by contracting and relaxing these unusual formations. In a sense, they are similar to crickets – now does it make sense why they are called “tree crickets”?

A Peaceful Giant

Although the Cicada is a giant and, to some, an atrocious looking insect with large red eyes and a large body, they are in fact really peaceful. Cicadas do not attack and sting humans or other animals, they simply enjoy their days by feeding on the sap of plants and flowers

So, don’t judge a book by its cover in the case of cicadas, because as mean as they look, they don’t intend any harm.