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Giant Water Bug — printable fact sheet
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Giant Water Bug
Lethocerus americanus
Giant water bugs of the genus Lethocerus are the largest true bugs on Earth, with some New World species exceeding 10 cm, and they hunt far above their weight class: tadpoles, small fish, salamanders, snails, and even hatchling turtles and snakes have been recorded as prey. The …
Did you know?
- Male Giant Water Bugs in some species carry their eggs on their backs until they hatch, offering them protection and aeration.
- Male back-brooding in Belostoma and Abedus is one of the few examples of exclusive paternal care in insects, and males will abandon eggs that a rival female tries to add. The pear-drop aroma sold in Southeast Asian markets comes from the male's abdominal glands and is now synthesised commercially as a flavouring. Giant water bugs sit motionless with only a pair of retractable abdominal air straps breaking the surface, using them like a snorkel to keep an air store under the wings.
What I learned
Draw the giant water bug
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