Explain the amazing jump of the cicada dance

Large speed insects called jumping cicadas can jump about a hundred times longer than its body length. Now scientists have discovered the secret of cicadas: they possess bow-like structures but act like launchers.

Picture 1 of Explain the amazing jump of the cicada dance

Aphrophora alni reaches a body length of about half an inch (9 mm) and can jump to a height of 28 inches (700 mm).(Photo: Burrows et al, BMC Biology 2008)

The leap is also known as the spittlebug bug because in the pupae stage they create a foamy plastic to protect the pupa. Adult adults store energy in a pair of coupled tree structures made up of both hard epidermis and rubber-like proteins called resilin. These two structures are attached to the horseshoe of the jumping cicada.

When it has muscles to jump, the aforementioned structures bend like a bow. When turned on again, that 'bow' will push the cicada to jump upwards with a force that can reach 400 times its body weight.

Picture 2 of Explain the amazing jump of the cicada dance

As a child, cicadas do not have elastic proteins to be able to dance.So they only dance when they are grown up.(Photo: Burrows et al, BMC Biology 2008)

Because the arch structure of the jumping beetle is made up of flexible materials and hard materials, it can withstand damage even if it has to bend for a long time. In fact, you can always keep their bow in a ready position so you can prepare to jump in a split second. According to the researchers, they can also jump multiple times without harming the body.

While in the pupae stage, cicadas lacking in elastic proteins in their archetypal structure. As expected, the offspring cannot dance until they mature. The findings are published in BMC Biology.