Cicada Life Cycle

A cicada is an insect with large eyes wide apart on the head, and usually transparent, well-veined wings. Cicadas do not bite or sting, are benign to humans, and are not considered a pest.

Most cicadas go through a life cycle that lasts from two to five years. Some species have much longer life cycles, e.g. the Magicicada goes through a 17- or occasionally 13-year life cycle. This video is about these so called: "periodic cicadas".

The long life cycles are an adaptation to predators such as the cicada killer wasp and praying mantis, as a predator could not regularly fall into synchrony with the cicadas. Both 13 and 17 are prime numbers, so while a cicada with a 15-year life cycle could be preyed upon by a predator with a three- or five-year life cycle, the 13- and 17-year cycles do not allow the predators to fall into step.

Category:

Pets & Animals

Tags:

• cicada
• periodic
• life
• cycle
• insect

[ttoale]

This video pissed me off, I felt like I was getting a history lesson in the culture of America more than I was learning about cicadas, it was annoying.

[pktheunbearable]

If you switched it on, you should be able to turn it off too.

They were conveying the timescales involved; if that offends you somehow, just turn it off.

[ItachiChang]

The cicadas are pretty amazing, interesting and smart! XD Awesome! 5/5!

[thegotcode]

@gospelkid1 yeah for next 17 year. lol

[RodrigoNAlvarezF]

once a Cicada dropped into my brother room's window and, as he got scared and cried out alleging it was a huge cockroach, I went there and took it with my hands. Its wings started twisting very strongly and I felt a superb sensation: how intense is nature. I took many pictures of it and I discovered hidden colours not easily noticed to naked eyes. Then I set it free really amazed.

[sunshine19967]

cicadas learning the pledge by climbing on the flag

[gospelkid1]

I hate them so I'm just looking for how they came

[ALLERTORLOVER69]

i got to see the cicada transforming from nypmh to full grown or no wings to wings

[grungeguy83]

@rikiki becouse their are 20 broods, alot of broods overlap and their is an emergance somwere every 3 years around the eastern US. so the 3/5 year thing is kind of correct due to overlapping broods. plus their are 13 year broods. if they were shorter then the predaters would know them as a source of food. and a good ten percent of them are consumed

[hmongboy9161]

I NEVER SEE THESE BUGS IN REAL LIFE!!!

[stuchly1]

poor thing... =/

[dalton35100]

interesting vid but couple sec later this is the truth i walked out and a cicada buzz righ in to my head and i rip it of and crushed that devil

[DJdude250]

today a cicada fell onto my deck and made a ****ing huge bang, it probably fell like 1000 feet