Animals That Walk on Water

It’s no miracle: More than 1,200 species of animals have evolved the ability to walk on water, from tiny insects and spiders to larger animals such as birds, reptiles, and even mammals. Ants are not known for their swimming skills, but a new study suggests many are surprisingly adept in the water. Out of 35 species of tropical ant studied, over half could “swim” on the water’s surface, which helps them escape predators and drowning, according to the research, recently published in the Journal of Experimental Biology. Walking on water isn’t magical, though—it all comes down to physics. Tiny animals can rest on the water’s surface because their weight is supported by the water’s surface tension, the force created when water molecules cling to each other. continue