Billions of cicadas that have been growing underground since 1996 are set to emerge along much of the US east coast to begin singing and mating, according to a Reuters report.<br /><br />"This year heralds the springtime emergence of billions of so-called 17-year periodical cicadas, with their distinctive black bodies, buggy red eyes, and orange-veined wings, along a roughly 900-mile stretch from northern Georgia to upstate New York.<br /><br />"The precisely-timed arrival of the 1.5-inch (38-mm) plant-sucking, flying adults takes place after a lengthy period of development underground as juveniles.<br /><br />"After maturing, males begin what cicadas may be best known for: their conspicuous acoustic signals, or 'songs,' to sexually attract females.<br /><br />"When they suddenly emerge, the cicadas will be visible "on the sides of the trees, on the sides of the house, on the shrubbery — even on the car tires," said Simon<br /><br />"To create their unique choruses, male cicadas use ribbed tymbal membranes on their abdomens to produce sounds, while females — lacking tymbals — click or snap their wings. This clamor is all done by July.<br /><br />"After mating occurs, females lay their eggs on twigs; the eggs hatch later in the season, and the nymphs drop to the ground and burrow underground to restart the 17-year cycle."<br /><br />FOR MORE NEXT MEDIA ANIMATION, GO TO: http://www.youtube.com/subscription_center?add_user=NMAWorldEdition <br /><br />FOR MORE NEXT MEDIA ANIMATION IN ENGLISH, GO TO: http://www.youtube.com/subscription_center?add_user=NMAtv <br /><br />FOR MORE TOMONEWS US, GO TO:<br />http://www.youtube.com/subscription_center?add_user=TomoNewsUS <br /><br />FOR MORE TOMONEWS JP, GO TO: http://www.youtube.com/subscription_center?add_user=TomoNewsJP <br /><br />FOR MORE APPLE DAILY ENGLISH, GO TO: http://www.youtube.com/subscription_center?add_user=AppleDailyEnglish <br /><br />CHECK OUT THE ODDBODS!<br />http://www.youtube.com/user/nxTomo
