Let's clear the cicada's name

There is such a famous story in the famous Aesop's Fables:

Through this story, we know that ants are hardworking and capable, and guys like cicada who like to relax and hate work will eventually get their due rewards. Is this really the case in nature? Fables said, no!

So, let's look at the characteristics of cicadas written by Buerger.

Many people should be able to recite these two poems, "cicadas sing in the forest and Tongshan is quieter." The poem shows a major feature of cicada, "Noisy". Isn't it annoying? Fables also said: "I have to admit that it is an annoying neighbor." Every summer, from sunrise to sunset, cicadas often perch on buttonwood trees, and their cries come and go. Who doesn't have a headache?

In China culture, cicada is a symbol of nobility. Why? Fables gave us an answer from a biological point of view.

Unlike other insects, cicadas drink everything when they are thirsty. They despise ordinary water. Even in the hot sun, it will drill dew from the twigs to drink. This is a clean and honest character advocated by China literati.

What are the ants doing at this time? Ants are naked intruders. As soon as they saw the cicada coming out of the well and getting the nectar, they immediately swarmed, some biting the cicada's claws, some pulling the cicada's wings, some climbing on the cicada's back to harass its tentacles, and some desperately pulling the cicada's straw. Under such harassment, the honest cicada finally gave up the well, and its revenge was just to sprinkle a bubble of urine on the robber, but the ant didn't care!

Maybe you have to say, how did Fables know all this? Yes, even if Fables regards insects as friends and children, they won't tell him anything about their habits. Therefore, if Fables wants to know them, he can only rely on careful and long-term observation.

If you want to know more about the habits of cicadas, you must look at their caves, because cicadas have been underground for four years, while they have only been on the ground for a few weeks. In June, after the cicada came out of the hole, Fables dug these holes with a pick. The reason why he used a pick is that the soil on the ground is too hard.

The cicada's hole is round, about 2.5 cm in diameter, and there is no floating soil in the hole. The cicada cave is about 4 meters deep, cylindrical, basically vertical downward, with a dead end at the bottom and smooth walls. Then the problem is coming. According to the length and diameter of the hole, the excavated soil is nearly 200 square centimeters. Where did the excavated soil go? You remember The Shawshank Redemption. Andy dug a tunnel in 65,438+07. Every day, he hides a small amount of soil in his rolled-up trouser legs, and when he is in fresh air, he scatters the soil in his trouser legs. So what does cicada do with the soil it digs out? Fabres further careful observation:

But the question remains unsolved: where are those eluvial soils? In addition, how did this dry soil like furnace ash turn into mud and coat it on the cave wall? It's no use dreaming, but you still have to observe to solve the problem.

Fables carefully observed a larva crawling outside the hole, and its body was covered with mud. This is amazing, because it crawled out of very dry soil and should be covered with dust. How can it be like "the cleaner who just stabbed the sewer"? Moreover, this larva is bigger than an adult, just like suffering from edema disease. With a pinch of fingers, the tail will ooze clear liquid. Haha, Fables found the answer.

What's even more amazing is that there is a whisker with strong vitality on the wall of each cicada cave, and cicada larvae use the juice of this whisker to replenish water for themselves.

Don't believe the slander of cicada in Aesop's fable. Cicadas are not lazy, but ants are intruders. Moreover, cicada is a great architect. Cicada should thank Fabers. Through careful observation, he made corrections with the rigorous and realistic spirit of scientists.