A small beetle has been discovered by researchers at the University of Newcastle in Australia that can run on the underside of water. While many insects, such as water striders, are known to be able to run on water, this is the first time a beetle has been found to be able to run on the underside of water. The researchers stumbled upon the beetle while searching for tadpoles in a local mountainous region. They were impressed by the beetle’s abilities and filmed it in action. The researchers hope that their findings will lead to advancements in robotics technology.
The researchers, John Gould and Jose Valdez, were surprised to find that there had been no previous studies on the unique ability of water beetles to run on the underside of water. While some older literature briefly mentioned the phenomenon, no studies had been conducted on the topic. The researchers believe that the unique abilities of small animals are often overlooked and hope that their findings will encourage more research into the behavior of small animals.
The researchers are unsure of how the beetle is able to run on the underside of water, but they suspect that it may be due to a bubble of air on its belly and the unique structure of its feet. They also hope to investigate whether the beetle is able to run on the surface of water and on land. The researchers believe that their findings could lead to advancements in robotics technology, as water striders have already been used as a basis for small robots. The researchers stress the importance of studying small animals and hope that their findings will encourage more research into the behavior of small animals.
