Student Vernal Pool Projects
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Student Vernal Pool Projects | |
Predaceous diving beetle larvae are aggressive and even
cannibalistic. They even sometimes eat small or medium sized fish. A year after the larvae
leave the vernal pool, they dig burrows in the soil and remain underground for four weeks while
pupating. The beetle larvae feed mainly on snails, worms, insects, tadpoles, and salamander
larvae in the pool. Their main predator is fish which feeds on the diving beetle larvae. Lucky for the
larvae, their are no fish in the vernal pool
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Using its legs as oars, the larval beetle can walk along the mud or swim in the vernal pool. |
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With this beetle's pierce-like jaws, it can rip apart anything from tadpoles to insects and fish. |