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Prime year lifecycles minimize synchronization with predator cycles. The figure is taken from National Geographic, which is linked in full on this page. Every fact on Mondo Knows names its source rather than repeating an unsourced claim.

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Mondo Knows Facts

Periodical cicadas emerge every 13 or 17 prime-numbered years

Prime year lifecycles minimize synchronization with predator cycles.

North American periodical cicada nymphs spend 13 or 17 years underground sucking xylem sap from tree roots. By emerging simultaneously in prime-numbered year intervals, cicada broods prevent predator populations from evolving matching mathematical boom-and-bust cycles.

Brood V 17 year Magicicada periodical cicadas (26487625484) — dankeck · CC0 · licence · source

Where this comes from

National Geographic

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Tags: cicada, insects, maths

Periodical cicadas emerge every 13 or 17 prime-numbered years: the short answers

Where does this come from, and can I check it?: Prime year lifecycles minimize synchronization with predator cycles. The figure is taken from National Geographic, which is linked in full on this page. Every fact on Mondo Knows names its source rather than repeating an unsourced claim.
Is this really a animals fact?: Yes. It sits on the Animals shelf, one of 1,090 sourced facts grouped into space, animals, the human body, history, science and more. Category pages collect every fact in the same field.
What else can I read about it?: The links under the fact point to a quiz, game, puzzle or calculator on the same subject, and the shelf below shows related facts. The wording here is original, and quoted phrases are marked as quotations.