FreeLists / va-richmond-general / [va-richmond-general] strange water creature

["Michael Shapiro" <sc.tanager@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

I know this isn't a bird sighting, but I don't know who else to ask this, it's 
so odd. Perhaps some of you that fish regularly might know what this is.
    We were canoeing on our lake at camp Friday when we came across these two, 
slug/caterpillar-like creatures on the surface of the water. They were about 2 
- 3 inches long, black and white striped, and propelled themselves across the 
surface of the water sort of like a worm - by stretching out/elongating their 
body from the middle to the front(? I'm not sure I could tell where the head 
was), then having their other half catch up by making their bodies thicker 
again. They appeared to have three "prongs" on the end of their bodies, which 
they used to grab on to sticks or lily pad stems floating on the surface.
    My first thought was either caterpillars or dragonfly or mosquito larvae. 
However, they had no legs and swam on the surface, not under water. Even when 
they were attached to something, they were still on the surface. They seemed to 
be at home in the water, so it's unlikely they were caterpillars, and mosquito 
larvae don't float on the surface and aren't that large. All the pictures I saw 
of dragonfly larvae showed that they have legs. As I said, these creatures did 
not. Any thoughts at all? Anyone know someone I can ask? One of the kids held 
it and said it tried to bite her.

Michael Shapiro
Henrico
sc.tanager@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx


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