That incessant buzzing sound you’ve been hearing for weeks now is not in your head. It’s mostly in the trees and bushes and all over your yard. It’s the (actually) harmless cicada. Dr. John Abbott, an entomologist and chief curator and director of The University of Alabama department of museum research and collections, said adult cicadas live four to six weeks and it’s the males we hear calling. This is Brood XIX coming out this year. There were some stragglers […]
In Alabama, the sound of cicadas often signals the beginning of summer. This year, their signature seasonal signal is expected to be a little louder. Every year, the annual cicadas emerge in broods in different locations all around the United States. They have a greenish to dark gray colored body and black eyes. However, this year in Alabama, two broods of periodical cicadas are set to emerge at the same time. These insects have red eyes. Brood XIII and Brood XIX are expected to […]
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Some extinct species left copious fossil remnants of their existence. Ammonites—an extinct type of cephalopod—are one such example.
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When trying to study changes in insect populations, researchers are hindered by one big problem: We don’t know as much about bugs as we need to. “We know almost nothing,” said Kendra Abbott, entomologist and museums research and outreach coordinator at the University of Alabama.
The remains of a 70-million-year-old carnivorous lobster have been found in Alabama, and the fossil is so well preserved it resembles well-cooked bacon.
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This story is part 11 of the AL.com series “Ancient Alabama,” examining the natural forces that made Alabama what it is over the past 500 million years, and how those forces still shape the state today.
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