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Sticker of Grousewinged backswimmer
Bug card No. 2133 of 4,939

Grousewinged backswimmer

Notonecta undulata
Eats: Other bugs and small animalsTrue bugs and cicadasPonds, rivers and shores6 legs

The grousewinged backswimmer is a water bug that swims upside down. It hangs just under the water surface, then rows off with its long, hairy back legs to catch its dinner. When it stops swimming, it floats back up like a little boat.

Lives in
Western North America, in ponds, lakes and slow streams
Length
1 to 1.2 cm (0.39 to 0.47 in)
Top speed
about 1.8 km/h (1.1 mph)
Swimming, estimate
Can it hurt you?
Can bite

Watch out! Read about its close cousin on Venom Wiki →

What does it eat?
It hunts small water animals, such as baby dragonflies, tiny shrimp-like creatures and fish eggs. Its favourite food is mosquito larvae.
For real!Photo of Grousewinged backswimmer
Picture by Mcdougall123. CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons.

How big is it?

How long is it?

Grousewinged backswimmer about 1.2 cm long (0.47 in)A grain of rice about 6 mm (0.24 in)A toy building brick about 3.2 cm (1.3 in)
as long as 2 grains of rice in a rowcould swim the length of a bathtub in 4 secondsmoves 42 times its own body length every second

How big is Grousewinged backswimmer compared to YOU?

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How fast is it?

cool stuff

Fun facts

1

It holds on to the water surface at five points: its front legs and the end of its body.

2

Its back legs are covered in thick bristles, so they work like the oars of a rowing boat.

3

It likes mosquito larvae best of all, so scientists think it could help keep mosquitoes away.

4

It can fly. If the water gets too warm or there are too many enemies, it flies off to find a new pond.

5

It can live in cold water of 4 °C and warm water of 32 °C.

you asked

Most asked questions about Grousewinged backswimmer

?What does the grousewinged backswimmer eat?

Small water animals, and most of all mosquito larvae.

?How big is the grousewinged backswimmer?

It is about 10 to 12 mm long, about as long as a fingernail.

For bug experts

Scientific name
Notonecta undulata
Group
True bugs and cicadas
Family
Notonectidae
Classification
Insecta > Hemiptera > Notonectidae
Lives on
North America

Where the facts come from

  1. Notonecta undulata (Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0): what it looks like, where it lives, what it eats, sizes and fun facts, retold in simple words.
  2. Picture by Mcdougall123. CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons. The sticker of this bug is drawn from this 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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