Backswimmer Insects Drag Prey Into the Upside Down | Deep Look
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- Опубликовано: 29 авг 2022
- 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.
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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.
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Наука
Me: Oh they’re cool
“One of their favourite snacks are these mosquito larvae”
Me: OH THEY’RE AWESOME
Amazing how one little detail can change your perspective.
IKR! They went from 'weird bugs' to 'valid pet option' as soon she said this.
Remember, anything in excess can be very damaging.
These guys could ruin an ecosystem if you deliberately over populate them.
@@WhoThisMonkey But I would rather have them over populate then having a swarm of mosquitos buzzing around me.
@@blakedao4777
Swiss log candle, put some juniper leaves on it, no mosquitos.
This bug is literally a traveler between two worlds. I love it!
Thank you, Samuel!
♥️👍
How about 3 worlds. They can fly also right?
@@rafsan1578 that's true. I forgot that they have wings. Diving bell spiders are my all time favorite criters. They're not related to backswimmers but they are pretty cool because they practically invented scuba diving way before humans came up with that idea 😎. That's one of the coolest critters I've ever seen 😎. They spend 99% of their life underwater unlike backswimmers.
I think god is so amazing for everything
The ability of flipping up from underwater and take off just impressive.
Learnt about them swimming upside down under water but never thought they could fly!
👍
Really cool bugs
Coyote Peterson once found one in his shoe after being in a swamp
I never imagined there would be bugs that swim upside down,and uses the downside of a water surface as a ceiling, but they can also fly .What?
Me: wow. That thing is terrifying.
“It’s favorite snack are mosquito larvae”
Me: “wow. I love this bug”
This is so me
I didn't exactly find it terrifying, but when I heard the "it eats mosquito larvae", my first reaction was "Where can I buy some of these bugs?" XD
Fr tho!! 😂😂
Same 😂😂😂
the enemy of my enemy is my friend
We need more of them yes, especially when it comes to mosquito larvae. They are cool and scary how they drag their prey to a watery grave. 😬 😵Imagine having a predator like that to deal with eeeh
👍💝
They can fly therefore making them extremely good and spreading throughout and area.
But if they start out competing the local species then they will completely destroy the local ecosystem and become an invasive species 💀
We do have a predator, exactly like that actually - an intraspecies predator. It's called a covert narcissist.
@@Typhoon792 lol
As the saying goes, the enemy of my enemy is my friend!
I can’t believe these videos are free to watch! They’re amazing!
We love making them. :-)
💕👍❤️
They’re not free you watch advertisements that how you pay nothing is free
@@lemonhead1442 This is from a PBS affiliate. US Public Broadcasting Service. They literally DON'T have ads, that's one of their claims to fame. The ads are Google/RUclips's doing, not PBS', watch it from the source if you don't want ads.
Thats why i trust deep look.
GOODNESS, just when you think you've seen everything. I had no idea that something like this was even possible. Mind blown I am
BOOM
I've found these in my swimming pools once, so freaky. They go in there when it gets dirty and filled with nasty bugs.
I am happy to say that I have never in my entire life seen this insect. So many wonders yet to discover and get to know.
👍♥️
We used to swim with these things in our pool. We grew a fear for them though because there bite hurts a lot. As an adult, if I see even one of these in the pool I’m out
@@bv657 same this is evil, in France we call them bee water 🐝
Was gonna comment this exactly
Yeah these things are absolute pests if you have a swimming pool. Their bite hurts worse than a hornet or wasp sting.
The "leathery cover" are the front wings which are also used while flying. They are also called waterbees in German because of their painful bite.
backswimmers gave me the most painful bug bite/sting I have ever felt
I've gotten bitten by one in a pool
Yep I've experienced a bite from these guys. On the palm of my hand. Not a great place to get bitten!
I’m always dumbfounded at the absolutely amazing macro shots you guys get of creatures. Super cool!! A couple years ago we found a backswimmer in our pool, I was excited to see a feature on a bug I’ve always been curious about! Thanks for the work you do, Deep Peeps :)
Awesome! Thank you!
did they like the chlorine?
@@simk2243 Probably not, I don’t remember what we did with it after we caught it. If we put it back in the pool it probably flew away.
On the original “Frozen Planet” they followed a single caterpillar for 4 years cuz every year it didnt eat enough to make a cocoon and turn into a butterfly so every winter the caterpillar would shelter underground/ish and their natural antifreeze they make in their little bodies keeps them alive and in the spring they will comeback to life to start the process all over again in hopes to turn into a butterfly. 4 years 1 caterpillar. Dedication is how they get those shots.
@@mychalson_bot5994 Wow 😳 Thx for sharing!
Awww they really are like little row boats, I didn't even know they had wings, mind was blown 😳. Love these videos ahh❤
Glad you like them!
In the UK we call them Water boatman for that reason.
@@mcborge1 ooooh cool
We called them “paddle boat men” growing up in SoCal. :P
@@mcborge1 haha we koreans calls it corpse swimmer cuz they have their bellies up like a dead bug
Its been a year ago since I started a backswimmer farm and they truly are fascinating creatures, they are almost alien like, smart yet scary, they will not hesitate to bite something 100x their size if they feel threatened. Thank you for this video seeing them upclose like this is truly amazing
I remember these god forsaken things in our pool as a child, they will bite people by the way. Never realized they were upside-down though. Great video as always.
I remember them in our pool too and YES - they do bite!
@@pinkpaisley4520 I vividly remember painstakingly trying fish every single one of those little buggers out with a net before I'd even think of jumping in.
I think I remember seeing these in cow tanks along with water striders. I thought I was looking at their backs the whole time. I had no idea they bit either.
The parallel dimension Pond Skater.
Cool to know that not only one species uses surface tension and unlucky swimmers to its advantage.
holy molly this thing is like an expendable super soldier. not often we can see a creature that can live in water, land, and sky. i want to know more about this fascinating creature.
Ever you ever heard of the jaguar?
Learning about insects I have never heard before is always fascinating.
Thanks Deep Look for introducing backswimmers!
Our pleasure!
I love that you called them “bugs,” because that term is so often misapplied, but in this case, it’s 100% correct!
I love the idea of a horror game with insects, these would be terrifying. I imagine your character (maybe an aphid or a small beetle) falling into water and having to swim out, trying to escape being dragged under the pond by these bugs..
2:44 Watching them flipping themselves really amused me. Its like watching the dog doing a trick!
It's shocking when you first see it. Caught me by surprise.
This channel has no idea how much it makes my day whenever they upload.
I love your arthropod Deep Looks. Keep up the awesome work!
Thank you so much!
💕💝
Do you capture all macro shots by yourself? Great close-ups
Nearly all of it, yes. Thanks! The music is original as well. :-)
@@KQEDDeepLook Great job, keep going;)
♥️👍
When I was a kid my family had a really big in-ground pool and spa. Despite it being chlorinated with a gigantic filtration system, we always saw these guys floating about. Always thought they were harmless until I tried using my hands to try and catch one. Turns out, they can give quite a painful bite.
they look badass walking upside down on surface tension
It's pretty intense, they are intimidating.
If there is one thing I'm definitely learning from these videos, it's that when non-crustacean arthropods take to the water, it's often to become voracious predators...and that all of them find quite ingenious solutions to do it!
And with how many there are, I feel like these bugs that take to water might be warranted a playlist all their own soon!
Wow, these creature's adaption is AMAZING!
We agree!
These have been one of my favourite insects since I was little, I used to explore a couple ruins of houses near mine that had lots of terrains and abandoned swimmingpools that went through the natural cycle of the seasons as if natural ponds, and I could watch this guys for hours, once I saw one trying to catch a newborn Podarcis vaucheri, but it proved too much and got away. Great video as always.
Very cool , Podarcis vaucheri = the Andalusian wall lizard. Even a juvenile is a large prey item.
Those bugs are OP
I used to catch and keep these little guys as pets
Thanks guys, I love your videos and thank you Laura and Lauren for the lovely voiceover
wow! never expected them to take flight like that.. amazing!
I never knew these little guys existed! They are kinda cute!
We agree!
I just saw some of these like 2 days ago in a little pond, and was wondering what they were. Now it's like you made this video just for me. Thanks!
So they can walk, swim and fly. Just wow
♥️👍
I was catching them in ponds when i was i kid but i never ever ever thought that they can fly
@@pamukpicker where do u live. Bcoz i saw these types of bugs for the first time 🥲
@@pamukpicker ♥️
Pull them out of your swimming pool and they will hop around like grasshoppers. They can do it all
Absolutely adore Notonectids and I've been itching for some major spotlight to be shed on them they're so incredibly cool and weirdly not talked about!! thank you so much! fantastic video!
They looked like upside down flys and dragonfly larvae combined
always been a fan of bugs but ur videos make me love them even more. Thanks deep look!
Glad to hear it!
life on earth is just so alien sometimes
That's our show in a nutshell, methinks.
Damn these are really all terrain bugs
Ah, so a definitive answer to “What is this fly doing in my soup?”
Wow..they can swim, walk, fly...and even scuba diving! Color me impressed!
Another great episode 👏. Keep up the great work!
Ive never even heard of these before. Fascinating lil bugs. Waterproof wings too.
once again, I am really amazed by the nature and Deep Look, wow!
The production is once more top-notch. Unrivalled footage! Masterful narration! And an adorable subject. Who's the cute little flying submarine!
This is fascinating. Great work on this video.
I love this channel for all the information it provides
I’ve learned something new today. Btw, nice footages as usual.
Thanks Deep Look
Glad you enjoyed!
this is my new MOST FAV bug now 😍 ive been promoting your channel like mad to everyone at home and work and pretty much everyone in bollywood on this side of the world... cuz of the super fantastic work you guyz do! 🥳 HATS OFF! die hard fan!!!
I have seen them earlier, but never so closely. Thanks for sharing this vital information.
Sorry I couldn't get you.
As soon as she said swimming pools that reminded me of my childhood memories as a curious kid to now an adult. I finally know what they are 20 yrs later lol 😆 (As they say you learn something new everyday) thank you for sharing 👍
I love 'em! Such fascinating creatures, thanks for another interesting video! I love your channel!
I’m no film student but all of these shots are mind-boggling. Like ridiculously impressive
you guys are so cool you spend all if your time to film this bugs deep respect to you guys
Amazing work!🥳
You actually manage to teleport me to a very interesting tiny world.🌏🔍
I loved the narration and musical setting. Thank you very much for expanding our view of the world!😊🙏
You guys are one of the best RUclips channels out there. I've always wondered where you guys get your footage from?
This bug is full of surprise.. I love it
All thanks to deep look ❤️
Yay, another hemipteran! These bugs (literally) are honestly mesmerizing to watch. And like all true bugs, they're really cute, even if most are vicious predators or pests (except cicadas, which are the perfect loving bean).
Wow, this is so interesting. Thank you guys for sharing this.
Wow, such a flexible insect~👍
Thank you for sharing this video~🤗
Thanks for visiting.
Amazingggg , please do more , such deep-look love it
These little jerks control our pool during winter, fall, and spring. I never knew what they were but me and my boyfriend found out semi recently.
I caught one once on my own and it bit me and it hurt for 20 minutes or so, super cool bugs!
Whoa! I didn’t know they had functional wings. Great video!
This is so cool! As kids we always just called them 'water-bugs'....... I had no idea that they could fly.
Wow another fascinating creature I've never heard of before, thanks again Deep Look!!😀
Glad you enjoyed it Kim!
@@KQEDDeepLook that's a big part of what makes your channel so cool, fun, and intriguing!!
Fascinating! I never heard of this bug before but if it eats mosquito larvae then i love it! Thanks for the great video.
Giving the expression "Living life on the edge"...a whole new meaning.
I have never heard of that interesting insect before. Thanks for the education
Love freshwater inverts! hoping Nepidae will be next in joining the "Panic at the Pond" playlist!
Water scorpions! They are pretty great. One makes a brief appearance in a past episode: video.kqed.org/video/deep-look-beetle-divers/
67 years old and I just learned something new. I've seen them all of my life and had no idea.
Yall got me again mouth all open saying whaaaaattt 😂 😂. All this time i didn't know they can fly. Everyone please stay safe and blessed much love from San Antonio.
We aim to please!
I had no idea these existed. This is epic.
YESSSS! Deep Look gracing us with another awesome video! :D
The Real-Life flying submarine ..!!!?
What a wonderful insect it is.
I have never heard of these bugs!!! They’re marvellous honestly! Thanks for showing and introducing them to people like me Deep Look 👍
Glad you like them!
how did i never heard of this
thank you
Used to see these as a kid in lakes and ponds and always wondered what they were. Now i know. Neat
2:05 to 2:10
Backswimmer: chilling
Shadow
Jerry: why hello there
What a great channel! Thanks!!
Glad you enjoy it!
Watching it eat that mosquito larva was beautiful. We need these creatures everywhere.
I had no idea these could fly! Super cool.
I just can love these all impulses deep look
i love those little guys i used 2 see and catch them at the pool when i was little it was funny seeing them hop and fly away i miss them
thanks this was very informative.
Wow! How did I not find this channel sooner?!
Very informative
Thank you, Michelangelo. 🐢
I never knew they could fly
Enjoyed your video and I gave it a Thumbs Up
Cool creatures. You really know how to make us sit on the edge of our chairs and hide our faces in our hands
Maybe beautiful is pushing it, but certainly quite striking looking when you see them from the top, and their mud-coloured eyes are awesome
0:20 well said!! I can't agree more!
I have always seen these little fellas around but i had no idea what they actually were so this is really super interesting to learn about!
Our pleasure, Phil.
I love the enthused narrator and the BGM artist more than my mayonnaise.
You capture rarest of the rare videos ever . Super
Hi deep look so long no talk I’ve saw you hit 2million subs so…
CONGRATULATIONS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉
One of the most impressive insect so far
Thanks Echidna!
“To the nether you go!”
“No, I would rather go under water”
I really like these guys. Happy to know they exist!
Glad we can share them with the world!
This one video very interesting! I remember back then when i was a freshmen in entomology study club, i found backswimmer and very excited about that because that was the 1st time i see it. Make one about their ocassionally non-flipped cousin: water boatman
Yes, some other freshwater mayhem please 👾💓
This Insect Is the upside down water Strider 😂. I Love your videos guys
Thanks Catapess. We also did a video on water striders a while back: ruclips.net/video/E2unnSK7WTE/видео.html