Cicada Facts for Kids

A Picture of a Cicada
  • Common Name: Cicada
  • Kingdom: Animalia
  • Phylum: Arthropoda
  • Class: Insecta
  • Order: Hemiptera
  • Infraorder: Cicadomorpha
  • Superfamily: Cicadoidea

12 Cicada Facts for Kids

  1. A cicada is a flying insect.
  2. Cicadas are members of the Cicadoidea superfamily.
  3. There are about 3,000 known species of cicadas worldwide.
  4. A cicada’s body color can be black, brown and green.
  5. A cicada’s eye color can be blue, red or white.
  6. Cicadas are separated into two classifications, annual cicadas and periodic cicadas.
  7. Annual cicadas emerge every year, while periodic cicadas emerge every 13 to 17 years.
  8. Periodic cicadas are only found in the United States of America.
  9. Cicadas are known for the loud sounds they can produce.
  10. The male cicada is who produces the sound, but technically both male and female cicadas have the anatomy to make sounds. Male cicadas produce these loud sounds to attract a mate and while mating.
  11. Cicada species vary in size, between 0.75 of an inch and 2.25 inches.
  12. Periodic cicadas use a method called predator satiation to ensure their survival. Since they all emerge at once and in such large numbers all the predators become sated (full) and remaining cicadas can mate without interruption.

Additional Resources on Cicadas

  • Periodical Cicadas – Learn about periodical cicadas on the National Wildlife Federation website.
  • Cicadas – Discover more facts about cicadas on the National Geographic website.
  • Cicada – Wikipedia – Find more cool facts about cicadas on the Wikipedia website.
  • Cicada – Britannica – Explore the Britannica website to get more in-depth information about cicadas.

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