water striders
Surface-tension insects
Water striders are insects that walk on the surface of ponds and streams, their long legs distributing weight so finely that surface tension supports them.
They skate across the water hunting smaller insects.
Also called pond skaters or Jesus bugs—the latter for their apparent miracle of walking on water.
- raptorial forelegsPredatory grasping front limbs
- insectSix-legged invertebrate
- floatBuoyant object or vehicle
- light as a featherNearly without mass
- long legsExtended lower limbs
surface tension · pond-skater · Hemiptera · dimples · pond · bugs · duckweed · hydrophobic · meniscus · limnology · skating · ripple effect · freshwater habitats · bioindicators · delicate · marsh · mosquito · shimmer
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