Cicada Emerges From Its Shell in Stunning Moment

In this YouTube video, a cicada sits on a leaf and, over the course of two hours, sheds its old self via molting. Molting is a biological process of transformation undergone by many creatures in the animal kingdom. While organisms like birds simply shed their feathers, the cicada molting process is complete and nothing short of transformative. But how do cicadas molt, and why do they discard their old selves for a brand new suit?

Cicada Background

The word cicada denotes a superfamily of insects in the Hemiptera order. Somewhat related to small jumping bugs like leafhoppers and froghoppers, there are two sides to the cicada superfamily: the family Tettigarctidae, with two species in Australia, and Cicadidae, which features more than 3,000 species across the world. Many cicada species are annual, emerging every year, but some, like the North American periodical cicadas, emerge in cycles of 13 or 17 years.

All cicadas feature wide-set eyes, stubby antennae, and hazy-textured wings. While they are mostly cryptic, preferring to hide in the shadows, they are known far and wide for their deafening songs. These songs, produced by features on their exoskeletons, sound like rapid clicking or humming tones. Wherever cicadas can be found, be it in temperate or tropical climates, they live in trees and feed on tree sap. Typically, they lay their eggs in bark. Once born, the cicada nymphs burrow underground where they wait for their yearly emergence.

Perhaps more than any other insect, cicadas have been documented in the historical record since ancient times. With their massive numbers and deafening songs, they are hard to miss. Since they happen in regular intervals, old wives’ tales suggest that the first cicada songs of the year will bring frost six weeks later. Furthermore, starting with Homer’s Iliad and various depictions from the Chinese Shang dynasty in 1766 BCE, cicadas have served as recurring artistic motifs.

Cicada Life Cycle

Most cicadas spend the majority of their lives underground. After the mating of mature cicadas, females deposit their eggs in tree bark. Upon hatching, the newborn cicada nymphs drop to the ground and burrow down to depths between six and twenty-four inches.

Underground, the nymphs subsist on xylem sap from the roots of nearby trees. In more moist habitats, the nymphs construct mud towers to dry out their underground burrows. While some cicada nymphs spend several years underground, the North American periodical cicada spends over a decade in the dirt. In their final instar stage, cicada nymphs build a tunnel out of the earth and emerge into the fresh air.

The Molting Process

In this YouTube video, a cicada is seen patiently sitting on a leaf. After a period of lingering, something miraculous happens. It begins to rock back and forth. Its exoskeleton splits at the seams. Over a period of two hours, wiggling and gesticulating, the cicada literally breaks through its own back. All molting insects have to undergo this process because they grow too big for their old shells.

Its dark, brownish exoskeleton cracks open, and a green, almost translucent cicada emerges. It hangs upside down, slowly acclimating to the world with new eyes. The cicada’s legs begin flickering, testing the air. Finally, once it’s comfortable, it spreads its fresh wings in a remarkable display of rebirth. The exuviae, or old exoskeleton, is left on the leaf, while its former owner embarks on its final stage of life. This is a seminal moment in a cicada’s life. After spending years underground, it gets its brief but wondrous metamorphosis.

This YouTube Video is arguably one of the best videos ever captured of the spectacular molting process of a cicada. It may seem like the first leg of the cicada’s journey, but sadly, it’s closer to the last. Though they have mouthparts and can eat small amounts for nutrition, the cicada’s lifespan is very short upon reaching maturity. Both male and female cicadas die within a few weeks of this molting process. Even if this remarkable period of rebirth is more of a climax, it shows that taking years to transform your life is worth it for that moment of complete transfiguration.

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