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Health & Fitness

Water Strider: The Bug That Walks On Water --- by Nicholas Lamb --- Muhlenberg College Class of '16

Look closely at the edge of a stream of pond, and you'll probably see bugs walking on water.

How cool would it be if you were able to walk across a lake that would take you a few hours to drive around?  Unless your name is Jesus or Magician Kris Angel, you’re gonna need a boat. Enviably, Water Striders have the unusual ability to walk on water! To do so, they use the surface tension of the water and their long legs.

            Water Striders, or members of the Gerridae family, balance their weight with their extremely long legs. They have small hairs on their legs that repel water and prevent drops from weighing down the body. It is possible, however, for these bugs to submerge from rough water currents- we see this all the time with surfers and huge tidal waves! So what happens once the bug sinks under the surface? The tiny hairs create air bubbles that bring the bug back to the surface. Also, these air bubbles act like snorkels and allow the bug to breathe under water.

So, we’ve talked about how the bug stays above water but how does it travel? Each set of legs has its own purpose. The middle legs are used for rowing- the hairs on the middle legs act like flippers and allow the bug to thrust. The hind legs are used for steering, like a rudder on a sailboat.

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            We all hate jumping in a pool that’s too cold, or a tub that’s too hot, right? Water striders do too! They prefer about the same temperature we do- 77 degrees Fahrenheit. Also, it’s no surprise that these bugs prefer calm water too. Lastly, water striders prefer many rocks in their water. That way they have a place to lay their eggs.

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            Water Striders feed on other animals without backbones. They actually use ripples in the water to find their prey! They use their front legs to feel vibrations from other creatures in the water. All of the legs on a Water Strider have a purpose: it pushes with its middle legs, steers with its hind legs, and grabs the insect with its front legs. Once the insect is captured, it will poke through the body with its claws, and then suck it through a straw-like snout!

            Life as we know it has its hardships. Some birds and fish prey upon Water Striders. One way to avoid death is to smell really bad! Birds and fish aren’t going to bother with a smelly creature. Another problem Water Striders face is cannibalism- this means that water striders feed on each other if food is scarce. Friedrich Nietzsche coined the phrase, “The worst enemy you can meet will always be yourself,” and Water Striders face this fear. Some adult Water Striders will fly to new ponds if this is a problem. Sadly, the youth are pretty much doomed because their wings aren’t fully developed yet.

            Perhaps the coolest thing about Water Striders is their way of communication. Males use water vibrations to communicate with other bugs. There are 3 different signals: the first signal (soft vibration) is a “get away from me” signal, the second signal (medium vibration) is an “I’m in this area” signal, and the third signal (intense vibration) is a “mate with me” signal. The last signal is my favorite and I’ll tell you why.

            This is where things become interesting. For humans, relationships require commitment, persistence, and love. These feelings must be mutual. Much time is devoted to make sure that he/she is the right one. Water Striders skip all of this! After receiving the courtship signal from the male, the female has two choices: she can either choose to mate or she can choose not to mate. Should the female choose to mate, she would lower her abdomen to begin the mating process. Males will hold tight the entire time to assure that his genes are spread throughout. Females will lay their eggs on stable surfaces such as rocks or plants. The amount of eggs the female will lay depends on the amount of food available during the reproductive season. More food means more eggs!

            Water Striders are going to be hard to find because they move so quickly. But if you are able to spot one, it’s a pretty cool thing to see. The way they glide across the water is envied by many and only replicated by one…Michael Phelps!

 

Water Strider: the bug that walks on water by Nicholas Lamb is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.



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