| MadSci Network: Other |
Giant water bugs have soda-straw mouths. The bug grabs its prey, jabs its soda-straw into it, and injects poison into the victim. Then it sucks out the victim's bodily juices.
Although people use the word "bug" for all sorts of small animals, such a lightning bugs, which are really beetles, giant water bugs are "true bugs", which means they belong to the order hemiptera. True bugs all have sucking mouthparts (haustellate mouthparts). Other true bugs that you will find in streams and lakes are boatmen, backswimmers, and water striders.
A good picture of a giant water bug has been thoughtfully provided by the University of Kentucky.
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