A few months ago, I spent a weekend in Sedona, Arizona and went on a few nature hikes. While walking barefoot through a shallow stream, I came across an interesting creature which I nearly but thankfully did not step on. The first few obscure images of this thing show it in its natural habitat:
I grabbed a nearby stick and managed to remove the creature from the water without harming or killing it. Once it was out of the water, I was set back on my heels a bit when I realized how fast and aggressive this thing was. It was not at all happy about being disturbed and would have eaten me and my stick had it been big enough. After a few minutes of tiring the creature out with my stick so that it would hold still, I snapped some more pictures of it:
The amazing thing about this insect was its swimming ability and style which I regretfully could not capture with a picture. The creature would instantly flap or fold its body from an elongated posture into a tight U shape, and then repeat this maneuver to propel itself forward, or backwards really. It also had furry sections on the underside of its belly, which I assume facilitate its swimming ability.
If anyone can identify this creature, I would really appreciate it as I'm very curious to learn more about it!
.
I grabbed a nearby stick and managed to remove the creature from the water without harming or killing it. Once it was out of the water, I was set back on my heels a bit when I realized how fast and aggressive this thing was. It was not at all happy about being disturbed and would have eaten me and my stick had it been big enough. After a few minutes of tiring the creature out with my stick so that it would hold still, I snapped some more pictures of it:
The amazing thing about this insect was its swimming ability and style which I regretfully could not capture with a picture. The creature would instantly flap or fold its body from an elongated posture into a tight U shape, and then repeat this maneuver to propel itself forward, or backwards really. It also had furry sections on the underside of its belly, which I assume facilitate its swimming ability.
If anyone can identify this creature, I would really appreciate it as I'm very curious to learn more about it!
.