#447 & 448 - Carnivorous Snails & Water Boatmen
#447 - Carnivorous Land Snail
The shell of one, anyway. How can I tell? Because it’s drastically flattened, compared to ‘normal’ snails.
The Rhytididae is a fairly diverse family of snails, found in Australia, New Zealand, some Pacific islands, and South Africa. The most common Australian species hunt other snails, but a large NZ species is a startlingly fast hunter of worms.
#448 - Water Boatman
Fam. Corixidae. Aquatic bugs with streamlined bodies, enormous eyes, and two short scoop-tipped forelegs, and long middle legs, and long oar-shaped hindlegs that they row with.
These unfortunate individuals had taken off to some pond somewhere, and been lured into the flood-lit deathtrap of the Baldivis Spud Shed, and its hundreds of waiting spiders.
Unlike most other aquatic true bugs, Corixids are herbivores, and swim right-side up near the bottom of pools.
Very similar in appearance to the Backswimmers (Fam. Notonectidae) but this latter family swim upside-down at the surface of the water, and hunt insects, small fish, and tadpoles. Also, their forelegs don’t have the scooped tip.
Photo by Duncan Cooke
One species of boatman has earned fame for being the loudest animal in the world, reaching 99.2 decibels despite being only 2mm long. And singing with its penis.
The shell of one, anyway. How can I tell? Because it’s drastically flattened, compared to ‘normal’ snails.
The Rhytididae is a fairly diverse family of snails, found in Australia, New Zealand, some Pacific islands, and South Africa. The most common Australian species hunt other snails, but a large NZ species is a startlingly fast hunter of worms.
Click to view#448 - Water Boatman
Fam. Corixidae. Aquatic bugs with streamlined bodies, enormous eyes, and two short scoop-tipped forelegs, and long middle legs, and long oar-shaped hindlegs that they row with.
These unfortunate individuals had taken off to some pond somewhere, and been lured into the flood-lit deathtrap of the Baldivis Spud Shed, and its hundreds of waiting spiders.
Unlike most other aquatic true bugs, Corixids are herbivores, and swim right-side up near the bottom of pools.
Very similar in appearance to the Backswimmers (Fam. Notonectidae) but this latter family swim upside-down at the surface of the water, and hunt insects, small fish, and tadpoles. Also, their forelegs don’t have the scooped tip.
Photo by Duncan Cooke
One species of boatman has earned fame for being the loudest animal in the world, reaching 99.2 decibels despite being only 2mm long. And singing with its penis.