Giant water bug
The giant water bug is a big, flat brown bug that lives in ponds and slow streams. It grabs its food with its strong front legs, like a pair of grabbers. It breathes through two little snorkels at its back end, so it can stay under water for a long time.
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Fun facts
It keeps a supply of air trapped under its wings and breathes it through two snorkel-like tubes.
If it is bothered on land, it first tries to run away or play dead.
It is called the electric light bug because it flies to bright lights at night.
Sometimes several water bugs share the same catch.
In winter the grown-ups dig into mud and leaves to wait for spring.
Most asked questions about Giant water bug
?How big is a giant water bug?
About 5 to 6 centimetres long.
?What does a giant water bug eat?
Insects, tadpoles, frogs, snails, crayfish and small fish.
For bug experts
- Scientific name
- Lethocerus americanus
- Group
- True bugs and cicadas
- Family
- Belostomatidae
- Classification
- Insecta > Hemiptera > Belostomatidae
- Lives on
- North America
- Also known as
- Electric light bug, Toe biter, Fish killer
Where the facts come from
- Lethocerus americanus (Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0): what it looks like, where it lives, what it eats, sizes and fun facts, retold in simple words.
- Picture by Jhou5. CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons. The round sticker of this bug is cut from the same picture.
If we got something wrong, sorry, we are bug fans, not a science journal. Tell us at [email protected] and we will fix it.
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