I recently took a picture of a giant water bug actually out of the water.
Every instance that I have seen these of critters they have always been in the water (sometimes even feasting on frogs), but this one had climbed up onto a reed.
This could be totally normal behaviour, but it also occurred to me that there are pathogens such as Ophiocordyceps unilateralis that change insect behaviour, including climbing up blades of grass.
Is climbing up onto reeds a 'normal' or 'aberrant' behaviour for giant water bugs?
