Backswimmer Insects Drag Prey Into the Upside Down | Deep Look

They look like little rowboats, cruising belly up below the surface of a pond or gentle stream. But don’t be fooled. Backswimmers are voracious predators, and when it’s time to find a new home they know how to make a dramatic exit. WATCH ’America Outdoors: Understory:’ PLAY Deep Look’s ’Panic at the Pond’ Playlist! DEEP LOOK is an ultra-HD (4K) short video series created by KQED San Francisco and presented by PBS Digital Studios. See the unseen at the very edge of our visible world. Explore big scientific mysteries by going incredibly small. --- Ever feel like your world’s been flipped upside down? That’s life for these bugs. Backswimmers are predatory insects that get their name because they spend their lives flipped with their backs facing down and their bellies facing up. They do a kind of backstroke using their oversized back legs like oars. Spending their time flipped over is convenient because it helps them know if any unlucky prey has accidentally fallen into the water. “They are vicious predators,” says Kate Boersma, a biologist at University of San Diego, “and they’re very fast in the water. They do hunt underwater, but they also eat stuff that falls in. Mostly terrestrial insects.” Backswimmers also like to munch on mosquito larvae that tend to share the same ponds and streams. That makes backswimmers a surprisingly valuable ally when it comes to keeping mosquito levels low. --- What do backswimmers eat? Backswimmers are predatory insects that hunt other aquatic invertebrates or terrestrial insects that have accidentally fallen into the water and are often struggling to get out. The biggest backswimmers can take down prey as large as a tadpole or small fish. --- Do backswimmers bite or sting? Backswimmers will bite people to defend themselves, but they typically aren’t looking for a fight. The bite may feel similar to a bee sting. --- How do backswimmers get in your pool? Can backswimmers fly? Backswimmers are able to fly to find new bodies of water to make their home. They do occasionally land in swimming pools by accident and can sometimes survive for a while if the pool isn’t heavily chlorinated. Since there typically isn’t any prey for them in a swimming pool, they will often try to escape to find a more suitable home. --- Find additional resources and a transcript on KQED Science: --- More great Deep Look episodes: You Can’t Unsee the Assassin Bug’s Dirty Work | Deep Look Tadpole Shrimp Are Coming For Your Rice | Deep Look Born Pregnant: Aphids Invade with an Onslaught of Clones | Deep Look --- Shoutout! 🏆Congratulations🏆 to the first 5 fans on our Deep Look Community Tab to correctly answer our GIF challenge! Will Edwards Marijn Slingerland Doddy Rachmad Subagyo Márton Varga Lichen8404 --- Thank you to our Top Patreon Supporters ($10 per month)! Jessica Burt Humburg Karen Reynolds Allison & Maka Masuda Daisuke Goto David Deshpande Wild Turkey J8Zenith Chris B Emrick Tianxing Wang Companion Cube Mark Jobes Blanca Vides Kevin Judge Laurel Przybylski Jana Brenning Jason Jia monoirre Anastasia Grinkevic Titania Juang Roberta K Wright Aurora Supernovabetty Carrie Mukaida Kimberly Hall Jellyman El Samuels KW Syniurge Cristen Rasmussen Nicky Orino Mehdi Shonara Rivas Cindy McGill SueEllen McCann Noreen Herrington Laurel Przybylski Misia Clive Kelly Hong Shelley Pearson Cranshaw Jeremiah Sullivan Caitlin McDonough 吳怡彰 Louis O’Neill Nicolette Ray Elizabeth Ann Ditz Shonara Rivas Delphine Tseng Wade Tregaskis Silvan Levi Cai TierZoo Kenneth Fyrsterling --- Follow Deep Look and KQED Science on social: @deeplookofficial Instagram: Twitter: --- About KQED KQED, an NPR and PBS affiliate in San Francisco, CA, serves Northern California and beyond with a public-supported alternative to commercial TV, Radio and web media. Funding for Deep Look is provided in part by PBS Digital Studios. Deep Look is a project of KQED Science, the largest science and environment reporting unit in California. KQED Science is supported by the Dirk and Charlene Kabcenell Foundation, Campaign 21 and the members of KQED.