Water Striders!!

[BillT]

I have been looking for water striders for a while because I want to get some nice pictures of them for a video I want to make about water surface tension. (They look nice and could be a good visual hook.)
Saw some in my back yard pond about a week ago, but then it got cold and they went away.
Saw some today (it was 69 degrees) and was able to catch some for photography.




Some of them looked weird to me,




until I noticed they were breeding!





Curved lines in surface near feet are due to (and show) lensing from the curvature of the water surface's where it is pressed down under the weight of the water strider.
I'm thinking of putting graph paper underneath (where the pattern is coming from) to maybe show it better.
Water tension is holding up the water stiders.


top view of a pair + 1




the same pair + 1 from below the surface

[PaulineMi]

I've  seen these spiders running around on the surface of water plenty of times. However in your pictures it appears as if they're on a sponge-like material instead of water. Very cool....great photos.

[Mugwump]

.....wow, super good photography......nice pics, Bill...

[BallAquatics]

Same here, simply superb photographs Bill.

Dennis

[BillT]

Thanks everyone.

The spongy look in some is from some corrugated plastic sheet underneath the photo tank.
It gets reflected up in some way I don't yet fully understand (multiple reflections).
You can see some of the phototank in the view from below the water line.

[LizStreithorst]

Just goes to show that water strider or human, we all pretty much do it the same way.  I can't imagine an amoeba getting much pleasure from reproducing, but then what do I know?  I'm not an amoeba.  Dividing must feel good to them or they wouldn't do it

[BillT]

Just goes to show that water strider or human, we all pretty much do it the same way.  I can't imagine an amoeba getting much pleasure from reproducing, but then what do I know?  I'm not an amoeba.  Dividing must feel good to them or they wouldn't do it

You certainly raise interesting issues Liz.

It is a philosophical question whether an amoeba (or anything else) has any feelings in the way a person experiences them first person in their own head.

The only proof that anyone else has feelings is through communication with them and observing their behavior.
These things however can (at least conceptually) explained as mechanistic responses of the nervous system to outside inputs and stored memories.

However, since you can't really get into other people's minds directly (unless maybe you are a mind reader), there is no objective information on it.

[Mugwump]

I'm root'n for them getting their jolly's, and screaming at the proper moment...

[LizStreithorst]

Same here.

[Ron Sower]

I'm root'n for them getting their jolly's, and screaming at the proper moment...