The Common Whirligig Beetle is a shiny black beetle that gyrates in circles on the surface of ponds and slow streams, its eyes divided to see both above and below the water simultaneously. Groups of dozens to hundreds swirl together in tight clusters for protection against predators. Their frantic spinning pattern is driven by a specialized ability to detect surface ripples.
Habitat
Pond surfaces, lake shores, and slow streams
Diet
Adults: small insects trapped on water surface; Larvae: aquatic invertebrates
How common
Common
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