Monday, February 16, 2009

Cicada



In Auckland, New Zealand, the cicadas make a lot of noise in the morning. This one came inside my house, and I caught it to show my students. This is about two inches long. The cicadas are plentous in summer.

Cicadas are benign to humans and do not bite or sting, but can be pests to several cultivated crops. Many people around the world regularly eat cicadas: the female is prized as it is meatier. Cicadas have been (or are still) eaten in Ancient Greece, China, Malaysia, Burma, Latin America and the Congo. Shells of cicadas are employed in the traditional medicines of China.[2]

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