Giant Water Bug

Distribution: North and South America, Northern Australia and East Asia Size: 2–12 cm Life Span: One year or longer Diet: Carnivorous Social life: Solitary IUCN red list status: No Status Giant water bugs, commonly known as toe-biters, Indian toe-biters or electric-light bugs, are aquatic insects found in ponds, marshes, and along the edges of lakes and slow-moving streams. They possess jointed, sharp, sucking beaks, breathe air, and undergo gradual metamorphosis. Both adults and larvae are carnivorous, preying on insects, small crustaceans such as crabs and crayfish, tadpoles, snails and small fish. These bugs are ambush hunters, lying motionless and waiting to strike passing prey. Their predators include birds, fish and other aquatic animals. Adult giant water bugs often fly at night and, like many aquatic insects, are attracted to light during the breeding season. In some species, the female attaches her eggs to the male's back, where they remain until hatching. When threatened, giant water bugs may employ various defense mechanisms: some play dead, others release a foul-smelling fluid from the anus, and a few can produce a soft chirping sound.