Once a cicada emerges above ground, it faces no shortage of predators. Birds, reptiles, fish, spiders, wasps and even household pets all see cicadas as protein-packed snacks. Many predators will completely change their behaviors during cicada years just to feed on them. Making matters worse for individual insects is the fact that they have virtually no way of fending these predators off. Cicada are big and slow. And despite having wings, they don't fly especially well. If something wants to eat a cicada, chances are, it will. So the only serious evolutionary defense cicadas have against extinction is their sheer numbers. To survive, cicadas need to show up in such massive numbers that their many, many predators just can't eat them all.