noun
- plural of backswimmer; aquatic insects of the family Notonectidae that swim on their backs using their hind legs as oars.
Usage: zoology; entomology
Examples
- Backswimmers are common in ponds and slow-moving streams throughout North America.
- The biologist collected several backswimmers from the pond to study their swimming behavior.
- Unlike most aquatic insects, backswimmers swim upside down using their long hind legs.
- Backswimmers are predatory insects that feed on small fish and other aquatic organisms.
- Children observing the pond noticed backswimmers darting through the water on their backs.