Foto: Ryszard Szczygieł

Water scorpion (Nepa cinerea)

An insect which resembles a miniature scorpion. It attracts attention thanks to its front legs transformed into gripping pliers, and a breathing tube imitating a sting. The water scorpion belongs to water bugs. These are insects that have adapted to life in the aquatic environment. It particularly likes overgrown coastal waters. Among the dense vegetation it is hard to spot its flattened body which is masked with grains of sand and silt. It also uses an additional defense mechanism – when caught it falls into a stupor, hoping that the predator will think it is dead and cease to be interested. The development of the water scorpion is incomplete. Eggs are laid on water plants and then juveniles hatch which are very similar to adults. Water scorpions rarely fly. They swim equally poorly. Usually they move laboriously on the marshy bottom of the body or lie secretly in wait for their prey. They hunt mainly for insects and crustaceans. They puncture the prey with their mouth, stupefy it with their saliva and suck up food. The water scorpion can bite painfully when you accidentally step on it. Watch out for it while swimming and walking in shallow waters.