This fly may look as if it’s dressed for a space walk, but that shimmering survival suit is designed for another, very different extreme environment.
The alkali fly is one of only a handful of life forms that can survive the toxic waters of California’s Mono Lake, which is saltier and more caustic than any ocean.
The key to its success is an ability to dive almost entirely enclosed within a bubble of air, thanks to a hirsute, waxy, water-repellent cuticle.
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Only its eyes contact the pungent liquid, so as not to impair underwater vision. Grappling-hook claws ensure that the fly can graze on an abundance of algae in the absence of predators, without bobbing straight back up to the surface.
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Top image © Alamy
