No. 1069 of 1,402
Common backswimmer
Notonecta glauca
Caterpillars & bugs🦷 Bites
Danger to people: MildLike a bee sting or less. Basically harmless to people.Common backswimmer belongs to the group: Caterpillars & bugs. It lives in: Europe.1
Venom power
Bites
Venom comes out through its fangs or teeth when it bites.
How dangerous is it to people?
Danger to people: MildLike a bee sting or less. Basically harmless to people.🚑 If it bites or stings
- For stinging caterpillar hairs: lift them off with sticky tape, then wash the skin. Do not rub.
- For bites: wash and cool. Get medical help if the person feels unwell or bleeds easily.
Always call your emergency number first (112, 000, 911). This is general first aid guidance, not medical advice. First aid basics
⛑️ Stay safe
- Never touch, catch or tease a wild animal, even a small one, and even if it looks asleep or dead.
- Give it space. If you meet one, stay calm, step back slowly and let it go its own way.
- If one bites or stings you: stay calm, keep still, call your emergency number (112, 000, 911) or get to a hospital fast. Remember what it looked like, a photo helps.
It is not out to get you. It uses its venom to catch food or to protect itself, and it would much rather hide. More about staying safe
Where in the world?
How big is it?
How long is it?
📎shorter than your little finger
How big is Common backswimmer compared to YOU?
Just maths in your browser. Nothing is saved or sent anywhere.
How fast is it?
A garden snail about 0.05 km/h (0.03 mph)
A tortoise about 0.3 km/h (0.19 mph)
Common backswimmer about 0.45 km/h (0.28 mph)
A person walking about 5 km/h (3.1 mph)
A kid on a bike about 12 km/h (7.5 mph)
For venom experts
- Scientific name
- Notonecta glauca
- Group
- Caterpillars & bugs
- Continents
- Europe
- Danger to people
- 1 / 5: Mild1
Where the facts come from
- Venom Wiki: the danger level, the typical size and the speed guess are our own. See how we work them out: How we rate danger.
Every fact on this page has a number that points to its source. If we got something wrong, sorry, we are animal fans, not a science journal. Tell us at hello@venomwiki.app and we will fix it.
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