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common
Water Strider
Gerris remigis
- Habitat
- Surface of still or slow-moving freshwater worldwide
- Body length
- 16 mm
- Order
- Hemiptera · Gerridae
Weird but real
Microscopic hairs on its legs trap air, letting it skate on water surface tension without ever breaking through.
Why it's cool
Living physics demo. Every time you see one, you are watching the difference between weight and surface tension play out in real time.
