Multiple choice general knowledge science & technology

cicadas of the genus Magicicada are those insects who spend most of their lives as grubs underground. They only pupate and then emerge from their burrows after some years. The gap in these years or the no. of years after which they comes out of underground can be well expressed by :

  1. Perfect square

  2. fibonacci numbers

  3. binomial numbers

  4. Prime numbers
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
D Correct answer
Explanation

Magicicada cicadas emerge in prime-numbered years (13 or 17) to minimize predator synchronization and reduce competition. This evolutionary strategy makes their emergence patterns less predictable. Fibonacci, perfect squares, and binomial coefficients don't explain this phenomenon.

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