The diving beetle (Family Dytiscus) is a large (30mm) aquatic insect. It is a fast swimmer with powerful jaws. This insect easily devours small fish and minnows with its powerful jaws. It consumes all of the minnow, leaving only the head behind. This insect has the ability to fly long distances to new ponds. The insect has positive buoyancy and has to swim hard to submerge. It has a unique feature of suction cups and claws to hold onto submerged objects. This individual was photographed in early spring in Upstate New York.