Water Strider

These insects can be identified by their dark color, usually brown or black, and four legs much longer than its thin body. Adult water striders can grow to have a body length of half an inch or more, with legs sometimes twice as long as the body. Water striders live on the surface of the water and cast unique shadows beneath them. Like other insects, water striders have six legs. They use four longer legs to balance and ‘skate’ quickly across the surface of the water; their middle two legs are used as the main source of propelling them across the surface while steering with their rear legs. Water striders have two smaller front legs near the head to catch food. Their diet includes larvae and other small insects that end up on the water's surface, feeding on both living and dead insects.