This year, two “babies” of cicada are emerging at the same time — and with them, reports of a mysterious fungus that is turning cicadas into “zombies” that display unusual sexual behavior.
But is there anything to worry about? Is this really happening? Is “Dawn of the Dead: Cicadas” on the horizon?
Fox News Digital spoke to several experts On the cicada who helped separate fact from fiction regarding cicadas — “zombie” and otherwise.
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“What’s actually happening is even more bizarre,” representatives from Chicago’s Field Museum told Fox News Digital in an emailed statement.
The Field Museum explains that a fungus called Massospora cicadina infects cicadas — and it turns the rear of their bodies into “a chalky pile of spores,” which becomes a “fungal plug.”
Cicadas infected with Massospora cicadina, As shown in the picture, Where their reproductive organs are located, “a chalk-like heap of spores” develops. (Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)
This plug can burst during the mating process, and the cicada “will fly around spraying spores, spreading the fungus even further,” the Field Museum said.
This fungus “does really interesting things,” explained P.J. Lish, director of the UW Insect Diagnostic Lab at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. To the cicada It infects.
“This fungus could be doing some dangerous things,” he told Fox News Digital in a phone interview. “It could be producing some amphetamine-like compounds that affect the behavior of these infected cicadas.”
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He said this altered behaviour is why the infected insects are called “zombie” cicadas — though unlike Hollywood zombies, the cicadas themselves are alive.
“(The infection) really makes them mate like crazy,” Lish said.
The director of the UW Insect Diagnostics Laboratory at the University of Wisconsin-Madison said the fungus causes cicadas to “mate like crazy.” (Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)
Infected cicadas also display unusual sexual behaviour – that is, male cicadas mimic females.
Male cicadas “sing” to attract a mate, but female cicadas do not sing in response, Lish said. Instead, cicadas that are ready to mate “flutter” or “flap” their wings.
“It appears that male cicadas infected with this fungus start flapping their wings,” he said, attracting the attention of other male cicadas — who then become infected with the fungus themselves.
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Although the existence of a fungus that can alter the sexual behavior of cicadas may be worrisome, “humans have nothing to fear when it comes to these insects,” Lish said.
This fungus occurs naturally in the environment“This is linked to the periodical cicadas that are appearing in many parts of the US at this time,” he said.
“They’re harmless. They don’t eat brains like other zombies.”
Scientists at the Field Museum agreed, saying that although some scientists call infected cicadas “flying salt of death,” there’s nothing to worry about.
The Field Museum said, “This fungus is specific to cicadas, so other animals and people cannot become infected by it.” The museum added that it is safe to handle infected cicadas — though “you may need to wash your hands afterward.”
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Chris Simon, a senior research scientist in the Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology at the University of Connecticut, had a very humorous comment on this subject.
“They’re harmless. They don’t eat brains like other zombies,” he told Fox News Digital.
The number of infected cicadas is also quite low, both the Field Museum and Lish said.
Pictured here is a healthy cicada that is not infected with the “zombie” fungus. (Sean Rayford/Getty Images)
“When Field Museum scientists went to central Illinois to collect cicadas last week, they examined hundreds of cicadas and found Massospora in seven of them., They found some in Cook County as well (on Thursday) Forest preservation“It is a historical monument,” the museum said.
Lish had a similar experience in Wisconsin. He spent Wednesday at Lake Geneva, Wisconsin, which he described as “probably our best cicada hotspot in the state of Wisconsin,” he said.
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“I probably saw thousands of cicadas,” he said. “I eventually found three that had the fungus plug.”
Although cicadas may be considered a nuisance, Leisch highlighted their importance to the entire ecosystem, as well as the special nature of their emergence this year.
“For example, birds, fish, mammals, will consume a lot of these things.”
“I compare it to the solar eclipse we had this spring,” he said. “How often do you get to see something like that in your lifetime?”
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Periodical Cicada Currently in WisconsinLish said the event, which comes every 17 years, is “really special” — for scientists like him and for the environment.
“Birds, fish“For example, mammals will eat a lot of these things,” he said. “As long as they’re active, it’s a free buffet for about a month or a month and a half.”
In the meantime, brains will remain off the menu.
