An Animated Guide to the Rare 2024 Cicada Co-Emergence  

More than a trillion noisy, inch-long cicadas are set to emerge from underground this spring to embark on the final leg of their lifetimes, in a massive co-emergence that hasn’t been seen in more than 200 years. Cicadas that are part of both a 13-year and a 17-year brood will emerge at the same time this spring. It will be the first time since 1803—when Thomas Jefferson was President—that these particular broods simultaneously tunnel up from their burrows to find a mate and make way for the next generation of cicadas. [time-brightcove not-tgx=”true”] Cicadas will be visible in a number of states including Iowa, Illinois, Georgia, Tennessee, and others. But you don’t need to worry that your neighborhood will be inundated with a greater number of cicadas than in past years; the two broods live across different regions—Brood XIII in the north and Brood XIX in the south— according to the University of Connecticut, meaning people are unlikely to witness both broods at the same time. Here’s an animated look at what will happen in the upcoming emergence of Brood XIX and Brood XIII. Cicada nymphs emerge   Once the soil temperature near the cicadas’ home reaches about 64 degrees Fahrenheit or greater, the insects begin to climb through their exit holes. Time to molt That same night, cicadas transform from nymphs, or their sexually immature phase, to adults. The cicadas molt into th...
Source: TIME: Science - Category: Science Authors: Tags: Uncategorized Explainer News Desk Source Type: news