What?? Zombie Cicadas Are Actually A Real Thing And Can Happen At The Jersey Shore
We all know the cicadas are coming, but what you might not know is that zombie cicadas are a real thing , and it could happen in New Jersey.
If the thought of millions of cicadas being just weeks away from emerging at the Jersey Shore is freaking you out, then you better get ready to be super freaked. Say this out loud. Zombie Cicadas.
There is a fungus known as Massospora, which enters the cicada's body and slowly turns functioning body parts into fungus. This fungus controls the bugs brain, takes over its body turning the cicada into a virtual zombie. And oh yeah, it ups the cicadas drive to reproducing, creating more Zombie Cicadas.
And before you chalk this up to science fiction hype, just ask the people in West Virginia, who saw this very thing happen in June of last year, according to CNN. Cue the scary music and let the nightmares begin.
And just to add to the drama, the cicadas remain fully functioning during this fungal takeover and don't even realize it's happening. Until of course the fungus controls them like the bad sci-fi movie this all sounds like.
Obviously, this is not a normal occurrence, and most cicada cycles happen without the zombie element included, but we all know the past 14 months we've had. The only way this won't happen is if our luck starts to change.
Remember, State Climatologist David Robinson says conditions look good for the ground temperatures to be warm enough to start the cicada invasion sometime between mid Mary and the end of the month.
Good luck to us all.
Listen to Lou & Shannon mornings on 94.3 The Point and download our free 94.3 The Point app.