Water Striders (family Gerridae)

Surface Tension - Water striders walk on water using surface tension through their highly adapted legs and distributed weight. The legs are long and slender, allowing the weight of the water strider body to be distributed over a larger surface area. The tiny hairs on the legs provide both a hydrophobic surface as well as a larger surface area to spread their weight over the water. The middle legs are used for rowing and the hind pair of legs are used for steering.

File Name: 2011-09-28_5731   Date/Time: 2011-09-28
Location: Umbrawarra Gorge Nature Park, Northern Territory, Australia.