Cicadas exhibit 13 and 17-year life cycles as a survival strategy, utilizing prime numbers to minimize overlap with predator life cycles. This evolutionary adaptation reduces the likelihood of synchronous emergence, thereby enhancing their chances of survival. The discussion references an article from the Washington Post that elaborates on this phenomenon, emphasizing that the avoidance of a 15-year cycle is intentional due to specific ecological reasons.
PREREQUISITESBiologists, ecologists, and anyone interested in evolutionary strategies and the unique life cycles of cicadas.
Jikx said:If it was purely random.. then its a 25% chance that it would be odd numbers anyway.
Kind of reminds me of a questions someone asked back at school, that being "why are electrons negitively charged, and not positive"? Answer "because if they were positively charged, we would be asking why they were not negatively charged".