Giant water bugs have been spotted at the nearest destination

A team of researchers from Cyprus reports that giant water bugs have been spotted for the first time on the popular Mediterranean island. According to the guidelines in Cyprus, holidaymakers should pay special attention to their feet when swimming in the sea because the insects, also called “toe biters”, mainly target the feet.The research is based on many reports from vacationers, also through social networks, according to which the “finger biters” have recently been identified more and more in Cyprus. According to the website Livescience, both vacationers and locals should keep their eyes open and pay attention to their feet even outside the water. Swimmers claim to have spotted the terrifying-looking beetles there, especially on the east coast of the island.

According to the US National Parks Authority, giant water bugs live mainly in freshwater habitats such as ponds and swamps. Researchers suspect that in the case of Cyprus, the animals arrived on the island from mainland Europe in the luggage of vacationing tourists. There are also possibilities that they arrived on the island through the wind or Sea currents In the past there were sightings in Turkey, Greece and also in Israel.

Here’s what travelers need to know about giant water bugs

Giant water bugs, or water runners in Hebrew (Scientific name: Gerridae), equipped with pincer-like limbs and poisonous saliva that enable them to grasp their prey and suck its fluids. These insects are also known for biting the feet of people who visit areas that are adjacent to water bodies and that is why they are also called “toe biters”. Although the bite is non-venomous and relatively harmless to humans, it is still very painful. Although these insects do not actively hunt us, they protect themselves when we are in their habitat. Sometimes they also attack things that look like food to them.

The potential menu of these insects, which can be up to twelve inches long, is incredibly large. It includes other aquatic insects (larvae and adults), crustaceans, tadpoles, salamanders, fish and amphibians. The giant water bug can catch and eat an animal 50 times its size, and for comparison that’s like a man eating an entire elephant. According to National Geographic, the insects are voracious predators that even eat turtles, ducks and snakes.