Post #13991

Water scorpion: Dangerous, lives in every pond. Useful knowledge about the “little monster” Today we are interviewing an insect with the appearance of a nightmare and a reputation that has long outstripped reality. The water scorpion is the most terrible inhabitant of our reservoirs. How dangerous is he really? — To begin with, please introduce yourself. You have a non-standard appearance and we are very interested to know who you really are? — Let’s dot the i’s right away: I’m not a Scorpio. Well, not this creepy guy who crawls around the desert and stings everyone. Neither by passport, nor by pedigree. I am an insect. A bug, to be completely honest. People called me Scorpio because it’s easier for them to be scared. But there is nothing to be afraid of: I and my brothers grow to only 2.5 centimeters in length from the cute muzzle to the tip of the tail. By the way, I have never seen real scorpions in my life - our habitats are too different. True Scorpios love sun, heat and sand dunes. We enjoy village life: in a lake, river, stream. We are found in almost every body of water not only in Russia, but all over the world except the poles. - By the way, tail! It is for this reason that they called you Scorpio and now they are so afraid to meet you. Can you sting us? - Scare - yes. Sting - no. I understand, it looks suspicious: long, thin, sticking out from the back - a classic of the genre. But if I really stung everyone who was afraid of me, after the May barbecue on the river, everyone would immediately go to the emergency room. My tail is not a sting or a weapon, but a breathing tube. Through it I draw in air, exposing the tip above the surface of the water. Oxygen travels through the system of tracheal tubes throughout the body, directly to the organs. Very convenient when you are sitting in ambush. Although I’m not a Scorpio, I’m still a predator and I know how to bite. - That's a statement! We are waiting for a trick from the tail, and you, it turns out, are in for a surprise! Tell me, does it hurt? - Hurt? Well... let's just say that no one calls it pleasant. When stung, I pierce the skin and can inject digestive enzymes - it feels like a sharp burning pain, approximately at the level of a strong pinch or a bee sting. It’s unpleasant, unexpected, sometimes it can swell, but there’s no threat to life or health. I don’t have any poison, so everything goes away quickly and on its own. My bite is purely a working tool. I grabbed the prey, pierced it, injected digestive juices - and then I calmly had lunch. - Who are you hunting for? - For those who are smaller, slower and do not watch cartoons from the Book of Animals. I am an ambush predator: I sit motionless among algae, snags and silt, camouflage myself and wait. As soon as something suitable swims by, the paws slam shut faster than the prey has time to understand what happened. Then I pierce it, inject enzymes and literally suck it out from the inside. Yes, it