Rhagovelia in action and slow motion (VIDEO)

University of California - Berkeley

Caption

Rhagovelia insects — water striders often referred to as ripple bugs — maneuver agilely in turbulent streams. When their motion is slowed down, the operation of the fans on their feet can be seen. These fans open passively in water within ~10 milliseconds and allow the bugs to propel themselves along the surface and corner sharply. As they move the fans produce vortical wakes in the water, similar to the vortices produced by the wings of flying insects.

Credit

Victor Ortega-Jimenez/UC Berkeley

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