A water strider is a small insect with an amazing ability: it can walk on top of water without sinking. These insects have long, thin legs spread wide apart that distribute their weight across the water's surface. Special water-repelling hairs on their feet let them stand on surface tension (the invisible “skin” that forms on water's surface) the same way a paperclip can float if you place it carefully.

Water striders live on ponds, streams, and calm parts of rivers, skating across the surface hunting for tiny insects that fall into the water. They move by pushing with their middle and back legs while using their front legs to catch prey. If you've ever seen small bugs zipping around on a pond without getting wet, you were watching water striders in action.

Scientists study water striders to understand how surface tension works and to design robots that can move across water.