Cicada Facts for Kids

22 Cicada Facts For Kids

1. Cicada is the common name for a large group of flying insects in the Cicadoidea superfamily.
2. The Cicadoidea superfamily has two families underneath it, Cicadidae and Tettigarctidae.
3. The Cicadidae family contains true cicadas and the species in this family are found around the world.
4. The Tettigarctidae family contains hairy cicadas and the species in this family are found only in Australia.
5. Cicadas have a worldwide distribution and can be found on every continent, except for Antarctica.
6. Cicadas can inhabit any region that is plentiful with deciduous trees (leaves that are shed annually).
7. At any given time, there are hundreds of millions of cicadas living worldwide.
8. All cicada species are herbivores and feed on the sap produced by trees.
9. All cicada species go through three different life stages: egg, nymph, and adult.
10. There are around 3,000 cicada species that have been scientifically described by taxonomists.
11. All cicada species fit into one of two categories, periodical cicadas, and annual cicadas.
12. Periodical cicada species have 13-year or 17-year lifecycles.
13. Annual cicada species live between 2 and 5 years, with much shorter lifecycles than periodical cicadas.
14. The average flight speed of all cicada species is about 9 miles per hour.
15. The largest cicada species is the empress cicada (Megapomponia imperatoria) with a length up to 3 inches.
16. The longest living cicada species is the Pharaoh cicada (Magicicada septendecim) with a lifespan of 17 years.
17. The Pharaoh cicada is not only the longest living cicada species, but also the longest living insect in the world.
18. Cicadas have various colors based on the species, they can be black, brown, green, or tan.
19. Cicadas have different eye colors based on the species, they can be blue, red, or white.
20. Cicadas are infamous for the loud noise (singing) produced by males to attract a female.
21. The noise produced by a single male cicada can reach up to 100 decibels, which is equal to a motorcycle engine.
22. Cicadas do not bite, sting or damage crops, however the male’s loud singing can in rare cases damage human hearing.

Cicada Pictures

If a picture is worth a thousand words, then the below images will be helpful for your research on cicadas. Below are three pictures of various cicada species. These pictures should help you better understand the different types of cicadas found around the world.

A picture of a cicada after molting from the larva stage.

A picture of a cicadas swarming on a tree branch.

A picture of a cicada in the process of molting.