Water Striders

Water striders are thin, long-legged insects that use surface tension to walk on the water’s surface. They are predatory, grabbing aquatic insects and terrestrial insects that fall in the water. The water strider uses its front legs as sensors for the vibrations produced by the ripples in the water.

Water striders aren’t pests—they’re considered beneficial to the ecosystem! Birds feed on them, returning the nutrients back to the land. Fish don’t find water striders tasty and rarely eat them.

Watch them in action from this video by PBS: