Common water strider
The common water strider is a dark bug with long, thin legs that walks on top of the water. It skates across ponds and streams without sinking. It keeps moving all the time so that fish and birds cannot catch it.
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Fun facts
It rows across the water very fast with its long middle legs.
It grabs its food with its short front legs.
To talk to a mate, it makes tiny ripples on the water, like sending a message.
It has very good eyesight.
The mother lays her eggs on plant stems at the edge of the water.
Most asked questions about Common water strider
?How does a water strider walk on water?
It is light and has long thin legs that spread its weight, so it does not sink.
?What does the common water strider eat?
Mosquito larvae and insects that land or fall on the water.
?Is the water strider dangerous?
No. It is harmless to people.
For bug experts
- Scientific name
- Aquarius remigis
- Named by
- Say
- Group
- True bugs and cicadas
- Family
- Gerridae
- Classification
- Insecta > Hemiptera > Gerridae
- Lives on
- North America
- Also known as
- North American common water strider
Where the facts come from
- Aquarius remigis (Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0): what it looks like, where it lives, what it eats, sizes and fun facts, retold in simple words.
- Picture by Bruce J. Marlin. CC BY-SA 2.5, Wikimedia Commons. The round sticker of this bug is cut from the same picture.
If we got something wrong, sorry, we are bug fans, not a science journal. Tell us at [email protected] and we will fix it.
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