Periodical Cicadas

insects · nature's mysteries · synchronized emergence · eastern north america

Two mysterious cycles. Periodical cicadas live underground as nymphs for either 13 or 17 years, then all emerge together in the same year. No one fully understands how they keep track of time in the dark soil.

Not actually locusts. People often call cicadas locusts, but that's wrong. Cicadas belong to order Hemiptera, while real locusts are grasshoppers in order Orthoptera. They're totally different insects even though they both make noise.

The sound of summer. Male cicadas create an incredibly loud buzzing noise by vibrating special sound-making organs called tymbals on their abdomens. The noise can be as loud as a lawnmower and helps them find mates underground.

Found worldwide. While the famous 13 and 17-year cicadas live in eastern North America, the genus Magicicada has relatives in Australia, Africa, Asia, and the Americas. Scientists study all of them to understand how they evolved these strange life cycles.