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Walking on water
Article By:
Bush, John W. M. Department of Mathematics, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Massachusetts.
Hu, David School of Mechanical Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, Georgia.
Last reviewed:2010
DOI:https://doi.org/10.1036/1097-8542.YB100086
Walking on water is a skill that has evolved independently many times during the course of evolutionary history, allowing a minority of nature's denizens to forage on the water surface and better avoid predators. Over 1200 species of insects and spiders are capable of walking on water, as are several larger creatures, such as some birds, lizards, and dolphins. While the weight of water walkers is supported by one of two means, a variety of ingenious propulsion mechanisms have evolved.
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