A new time-lapse video of a cicada shedding its skin has been posted to Facebook and shows the amazing, hour-long process in just 30 seconds, according to CBS News. Even if you're unfamiliar with the name "cicada," you've likely heard the loud buzzing sound that they make during the summer, which stem from the vibration of the tymbal membranes that are found in the abdomens of males.
Cicadas have a strange life cycle - although they burrow themselves underground for 17 years at a time, when they make their entrance back into the world in their "nymph" stage, they grasp onto a vertical surface, such as a tree trunk, and split their shells open, leaving them to fly away with wings extended in their adult form.
With approximately 2,500 unique species believed to be undiscovered, cicadas are unique insects - even after they emerge from their aforementioned slumber and take flight, they are typically eaten by predators due to their tasty nature, RT News noted. Why is this? Scientists believe that this is an evolutionary adaptation that came about to appease predators and ensure the stability of their numbers.
The video is not the first of its kind. Back in 2013, natural history filmmaker Samuel Orr created a time-lapse video of a cicada shedding its shell using a series of still photos.
