In the summer time, you might hear high-pitched hissing during the hottest part of the day. The buzz is from cicadas. Cicadas live in the rainforest, but are found in every part of the world, except Antarctica. That’s probably why you are able to hear them.
Males make noise by flexing their tymbals. Tymbals are drum-like organs in the midsection of their body used for communication.
Click play to listen:
Males make noise by flexing their tymbals. Tymbals are drum-like organs in the midsection of their body used for communication.
Click play to listen:
Females just flick their wings in response to their call. But they don’t make the infamous sound you just heard.
Some species of cicadas use callings as a defense against predators. They do this by forming a chorus to make the sound louder. The loud noise is deafening to birds, and they know to stay away. How do you use noise to communicate and defend yourself from others?
Rainforest Kids Science curriculum connection: Unit 2:Chapter 2, Lesson 1, Grade 1
