Zoo animals prey on rare cicada
Animals at Brookfield Zoo in Chicago, Illinois, were caught eating cicadas. This is the first time in 17 years that periodic cicadas have appeared, belonging to two broods of periodic cicadas. The last time this happened was in 1803.
Two different families in suburban Chicago stumbled upon a “one-in-a-million” blue-eyed cicada and shared photos of the vibrant insect.
Greta Bailey told Fox News Digital that she and her 4-year-old son, Jack, were collecting the bright insects when the family first discovered them in their backyard in Wheaton, Illinois. This typical red-eyed cicada.
Bailey told Fox 59 she wasn’t aware of the blue-eyed cicada until one walked into her backyard.
“I thought it was cool and unique, and I had never heard of blue-eyed cicadas,” Bailey said.
Billions of noisy cicadas awaken from their slumber across America
Greta Bailey’s four-year-old son discovered a cicada with vibrant eyes in her backyard in Wheaton, Illinois. (Greta Bailey via Facebook)
Bailey said her family enjoys taking photos of the cicada before releasing it back into the wild.
Bailey’s photo shows her three children holding the small and surprisingly blue-eyed cicada.
Greta Bailey’s daughters hold blue-eyed cicadas. The insect was later released by the family. (Greta Bailey via Facebook)
Another woman in suburban Chicago discovered a “one-in-a-million” blue-eyed cicada while visiting a nature preserve.
Kelly Simkins, owner of Merlin’s Wiggle Pet Show, shared her surprising discovery on Facebook and took a photo of the cicada’s vibrant blue eyes.
The cicada invasion has begun! Find out where flying insects appear
“The one-in-a-million blue-eyed cicada was spotted at 7am this morning,” Simkins said in the post.
Two different species of blue-eyed cicadas were discovered in suburban Chicago this week. (Greta Bailey and Kelly Simpkins)
While family discoveries are rare, they are not unheard of.
Click here to get the Fox News app
Gene Klitsky, author of “Periodic Cicadas: Plagues and Mysteries,” said blue eyes are caused by a genetic mutation.
Kritsky confirmed that the blue-eyed cicada is indeed one in a million. “Of course,” he added, “there are hundreds of millions of cicadas.”
