Ranatra

Ranatra is a genus of generally slender predatory members of the family Nepidae, known as water scorpions or water stick-insects. Their front legs are strong and are used to grasp prey. They breathe through a pair of long breathing pipes extending from their tails. They eat tadpoles, small fish and other insects, which they pierce with their beak and inject a saliva which both sedates and begins to digest their prey.

They are active throughout winter as adults, except in extreme cold. The females lay eggs in vegetation during the springtime. The eggs typically take two to four weeks to hatch and the young take about two months to mature. When fully grown they are 4-5 inches.

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