The Giant Water Bugs (Lethocerus americanus) are sometimes called "toebiters" because they may bite the feet and ankles of people wading through shallow water. They are predators that lurk in aquatic vegetation to catch other insects, tadpoles and small fish, injecting anaesthetic saliva into their prey. They may play dead when picked up and can fly from on body of water to another.

photo courtesy of Robert Kaul

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