Cicadas are known for their loud calls. When thousands of them are in the mood for love, the sound can be deafening.
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Male cicadas produce this cacophony in order to attract mates using a pair of organs called tymbals. Located beneath their wings, tymbals have two main components: a series of ribs made of chitin (a polysaccharide that is the main component of insect exoskeletons), and a membrane made of the rubbery, flexible protein resilin.
Using muscles on either side of the tymbal, the cicada contracts the organ, buckling the ribs. The contraction and release of the ribs creates a series of sounds – sometimes as many as 400 in a single second. This registers as a buzz to the human ear.
These sounds are further amplified by their tracheae (which they use to exchange oxygen and carbon dioxide) and by their hollow abdomens, which serve as resonance chambers. The songs can reach intensities of up to 120dB in some species.
The tymbals are not the only organs cicadas use to produce sound – they may also flick their wings or stroke them against specialised structures in an action called stridulation.
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Top image: cicadas. Credit: Getty