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Water bugs are a whole collection of bizarre and exotic creatures
that spend some or all of their lives in waterways. They have
no backbone! Some are soft and squishy, some have hard crusts
on their bodies, and some carry a 'home' wherever they go.
Living in water and having no backbones, scientists call them
aquatic macroinvertebrates (pronounced mac-ro-in-vert-ah-bruts).
Many look strange and fascinating. They live weird lives
and many have disgusting habits. You find them in ponds, streams,
estuaries and irrigation drains. You may even find some in
your swimming pool!
Many are insects, like beetles. Some are
tiny crabs and prawns. There are also snails, worms and maggots.
Fish, frogs and birds depend on these spineless creatures
for food.
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