When we think of walking on water, we usually imagine something miraculous or impossible. But in the animal kingdom, several incredible creatures have mastered this seemingly magical feat.
Whether it's through speed, surface tension, or clever adaptations, these animals have evolved to stride, scurry, or even dance across the surface of water.
From tiny insects to surprisingly nimble reptiles, here are five fascinating animals that can literally walk on water.
Animals that can walk on water
Basilisk lizard
By running at great speeds across water, the basilisk lizard avoids becoming prey. This remarkable skill has earned it the nickname the 'Jesus Christ lizard', and it uses its long toes, which have fringes of skin, to propel itself across the water at remarkable speed.
The basilisk slaps the surface of water quickly enough to create tiny pockets of air, allowing it to sprint across ponds and streams for several metres before sinking and swimming.
Pond skater
Pond skaters have evolved to take advantage of the molecular forces at work on the surface of still water, says Richard Jones.
H2O molecules attract each other – this has little impact under the water – but on top, something quite interesting happens.
Surface tension, a lot like a tight skin a few molecules thick, forms across the top. This means that, under the right conditions, some objects that are denser than water are able to float on the surface – and this is where the pond skater comes in.
The skater’s body is perfectly adapted to suit this very habitat. Its long middle and back legs spread the (already very light) insect’s weight so that no point bears enough pressure to break through this tension.
Fishing spider
Another animal that is able to benefit from this surface tension is the fishing spider. Like the pond skater they are able to walk on the water because it is able to spread its weight, its legs doesn't pierce the water's surface.
Jacana
While this might not exactly be walking on water, jacanas possess preposterously long toes relative to their body size that spread the birds’ weight, enabling them to walk on floating vegetation, such as lilypads, without sinking.
These lengthy – and frankly weird – toes have rightly earned jacanas a place on our weirdest birds in the world list.
Western and Clark's grebes
Few animals can walk on water in such spectacular style as the Western and Clark's grebes. Grebes are known for their amazing courtship dances and these species take it a literal step further by dancing on water.
According to a paper published in Nature journal, they are able to do this by having a fast stride (20 steps per second) and wide flat feet that slap the surface.