A Small Change, A More Magical Experience [Starting 1 May 2026]
We're making a few gentle changes to how you'll experience our tours - designed to feel even more natural and enjoyable for both you and the elephants. Full Information → ×
You are here: / / / Cicada
Cicada
Length:Leg: 2 – 5 cm.
Head to body: average 7 cm.
Wingspan: 18 – 20 cm.
Life cycle:Average: 2-17 year. (depending on the species)

Cicada

Cicadidae

Description:
There are over 2500 species of cicada in the world. Cicadas have large compound eyes on each side of the head; they also have three very small glistening simple eyes on the top of the head, and transparent well­veined wings. Most cicadas found in Thailand are brown or grey with patches of green, however they can also have other colors.

Cicadas live in temperate to tropical climates, where they are one of the most widely recognized of all insects due to their large size and remarkable (and often inescapable) acoustic talents. Only the males of the species make such a loud noise, trying to attract females. The sounds vary a lot from one species to the other and are actually the result of a vibration of the tymbal (special membranes) in the abdomen of the male specimen. At close range the volume of the cicada’s love calls can be up to 120dB, similar to the volume of an aircraft taking off.

Did you know...?

… that different cicada species follow an unspoken agreement not to sing all at the same time? This collective noise would not only be deafening, but also leading to females not being able to find males of the right species.

Diet:
Cicadas feed by piercing the surface of plants with their mouth stylets. They then suck up the sap through a tube formed by the concave surfaces of the two stylets.

Lifecycles:
Cicadas spend most of their life in the soil as a wingless insect. Some cicada species can live under the ground for 17 years. When it is time to leave the ground cicadas climb up the closest tree and transform into their adult form, growing two wings. The back cracks open into two halves and the fully­ grown cicada appears. Adult cicadas only live for a few days or weeks (depending on the species). They then die shortly after mating. Female cicadas lay 400 to 600 eggs in as many as 40 to 50 different nests before they die. They are an important prey for birds, reptiles, and smaller mammals.

MosquitoMosquito1Jewel beetleJewel Beetle