Hrvatski
The water’s surface is a boundary between two worlds and only a few creatures navigate is as skillfully as the backswimmers (family: Notonectidae), who have mastered life right in between.
Life on the Upside Down
These small freshwater insects live right at this thin line, just beneath the surface, upside down. Special hair covering their legs and abdomen help them stay balanced and keep their unusual inverted position. You can spot backswimmers in all sorts of still or slow flowing freshwater habitats, ponds, lakes and slow-moving streams, where they cling to the underside of surface tension, like tiny acrobats.
Hunting upside-down has its advantages. Any unlucky insect that lands on the water’s surface can become an easy meal. They also frequently snack feed on mosquito larvae hanging below the surface. As we’ve learned throughout this Tiny but Mighty series, freshwater insects are often ruthless and surprisingly well-equipped hunters.
Risk it for the Biscuit
Living in this narrow space between air and water is risky. Backswimmers can be spotted by predators both from above and below. Fortunately, nature has equipped them with defense tools. Their colouring works as a clever camouflage: their pale backs blend with the bright sky when seen from below, while the darker underside blends with the depths when seen from above. Their large eyes, stretching across the sides of their head, give them a wide view of their surroundings. When the danger approaches, they react instantly, diving down and disappearing into underwater vegetation.
Water Somersault
The backswimmers are also pioneers. They are among the first creatures to settle in a new or temporary water bodies. When food runs out, they reveal another hidden athletic skill. With a quick flip, they reach the surface and unfold their tucked-away wings and take off in search of a new home.
There are various ways for insects to find their place in freshwater, and the backswimmers have adapted and found theirs where we would least expect it. Let them serve as an important reminder of the extraordinary diversity hidden in our streams, lakes, and ponds!
Coming up next in Tiny but Mighty, as a cherry on top, freshwater fashion icons – the caddisflies!
Featured image: The backswimmer, Author: E. van Herk, licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0