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Toe Biters and other Aquatic True BugsTags
Aquatic BugsHow about this monster any help identifying?
I’ve been browsing through pictures and just haven’t found one like it yet. Any help would be appreciated! We found this guy out in the driveway last night…quite a surprise!
Mike
Hi Mike,
The Giant Water Bug is sometimes called an Electric Light Bug or a Toe-Biter. We feel compelled to include this recent letter in our response even though it concerns a different species. While this bug is known as a Toe-Biter, and while it can produce a painful bite, it is not an aggressive species.
Readers Comment: (05/12/2008) Giant water Beetle bites
Dear friends;
I’ve enjoyed your site immensely and have recently come across a specimen of Ranatra Fusca, the water scorpion. I was just thinking of how the public is terribly alarmed at insects that bite. I’ve never been bitten by an aquatic insect but I have cut my toe badly on a hidden piece of broken glass in the mud and have experienced nasty bites from a rabbit, cat, dog, a horse, and a ferret. A human, (Homo sapien or more commonly known as “ultimus stupidimus”) can deliver a very painful bite because the teeth are dull and have the same effect as clenching the flesh with a pair of pliers. The point here is that most of the smaller creatures are relatively defenseless and easily killed. This business of bites has to be seen in a larger, sensible context. As Mark Twain aptly stated, “Man can learn a lot from the higher animals.” All the best,
Paul Marshall
Barrie Ontario, Canada
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