Water scorpion Coloring Pages

Name Origin and English Name

The Japanese name for Water scorpion uses the characters for "water" and "praying mantis." Just like its name, its front legs look like mantis sickle arms. It got this name because it lives in the water!

In English, it is called "Water scorpion." The long tube on its bottom looks like a scorpion's sting. That is why people overseas compare it to a scorpion!

When You Can See Them

Water scorpion adults spend the winter alive. So you can see them all year long!

• Spring to Autumn (Around April to October): This is when they are most active. They move around a lot to hunt for food in the summer!

• Winter: They stay still under fallen leaves or in the mud at the bottom of the water to spend the winter.

Where You Can See Them

You can find them all over Japan, from Hokkaido to Kyushu.

• Habitats: They like calm ponds, marshes, rice fields, and water ditches.

• Environment: They have long, thin bodies. They love to hide in places with lots of water plants. They blend in with the plants and wait for prey. So plants make the best hunting spots for them!

What They Eat

Water scorpion is a fierce meat-eating hunter in the water!

• Main Food: They catch small fish like killifish, tadpoles, and other water bugs.

• How They Hunt: They grab prey tightly with their front legs. Then they poke it with a needle-like mouth to melt the inside. After that, they drink up the liquid inside!

Lifespan

In the wild, Water scorpion lives for about 1 to 2 years. Babies hatch from eggs and shed their skin a few times. They become adults in summer, live through the winter, and lay eggs the next summer. If you keep one in a nice cage, it can live even longer!

Other Cool Facts: Breathing and Flying

Water scorpion has cool tricks that make it different from other water bugs!

• Breathing Tube: The long stick on its bottom is a breathing tube. It acts like a snorkel! It sticks the tube out of the water to breathe air. That is why you often see it resting upside down.

• Masters of Hiding: Its body looks just like a dry twig. It is super hard to find when it hides in water plants!

• They Can Fly: Even though it lives in water, it has great wings! It can fly to new water spots at night.

How to Choose Body Colors

Water scorpion needs to blend in with its surroundings, so it does not have bright colors.

• Base colors: Mostly use brown, ochre (yellow-brown), and dark brown.

• How to add texture: To make it look muddy, layer a little gray or dull green over the brown. This shows its tough wild side!

• The front legs: Use a slightly darker color on the tips and joints. It will look sharp and super cool!

Coloring Water Plants and Backgrounds

If you color the plants in the background carefully, you can show how amazing Water scorpion is at hiding!

• Water plants: Use bright green, but also add dark green for shadows. This gives your picture depth.

• Floating plants: Leave parts of the leaves white or add light yellow. This makes them look like they are shiny under the water!

Tricks to Make It Look Like Water

Try these ideas to show that your Water scorpion is underwater!

• Sunlight rays: Draw light diagonal lines with white or light blue. It will look like clear water with light shining through.

• Air bubbles: Draw tiny circles around the body and breathing tube. Leave them white to show it breathing underwater!

• Adding shadows: Draw light shadows under Water scorpion onto the plants. This makes it look like it is floating!

Water scorpion has a slim body, so it looks great even with just a few colors. Enjoy the cool match between the twig-like body and the bright water plants. Have fun finishing your very own underwater hunter!

Not a Mantis, but a Relative of the "Stink Bug"

It has a long, thin body and front legs like scythes, but the Water scorpion is actually a relative of the stink bug (aquatic true bug). It is in the same insect group as giant water bugs, water scorpions, and pond skaters that glide on top of the water!

The Long Tube on Its Tail Is a "Snorkel"

You can see something long and thin like a needle coming out of its tail, right? This is not a sting for poking, but a "breathing tube." The Water scorpion sticks just the tip of this tube above the water. It uses it just like a snorkel to take in air and breathe!

Hiding Still to Look Like Water Plants

The Water scorpion is not very good at swimming. It often holds onto water plants or dead twigs and stays very still. Its long body looks just like a water plant. It is a master at waiting in ambush! When a killifish or tadpole swims close by, it quickly catches it with its front legs.

It Can Actually Fly Through the Air!

You might think the Water scorpion spends its whole life in the water, but it actually has real wings on its back and can fly in the sky! At night, it has the amazing ability to fly to a different place to look for a new home, like a new pond or rice field.