Cicada

insects · underground · incredible singers

Underground sleepers. Most cicadas spend years buried in the soil as nymphs, feeding on tree roots and slowly growing. When they're finally ready, they dig their way up and transform into adults.

The loudest insects. Male cicadas make an incredibly loud buzzing sound by vibrating special organs on their bellies called tymbals. Their songs can be as loud as a lawnmower and can be heard from far away.

Found worldwide. There are over 3,000 species of cicadas living all around the world. Australia, Africa, Asia, and the Americas all have their own unique cicada species.

Periodic cicadas wait. Some special cicada species in North America do something amazing: they stay underground for either 13 or 17 years before all emerging at the same time in one area. When they finally come up, millions of them appear together.

Cousins of leafhoppers. Cicadas are related to jumping insects like leafhoppers and froghoppers, and they're all part of a larger insect group that drinks plant juices through straw-like mouths.