Diving Beetle, Rhantus Sp., Sem
by Meckes/ottawa
Title
Diving Beetle, Rhantus Sp., Sem
Artist
Meckes/ottawa
Medium
Photograph - Photograph
Description
Color-enhanced SEM of a diving beetle (Rhantus sp.). This beetle is a genius when it comes to mobility. It can crawl. It can fly. And it can even dive and swim. It is called the "diving beetle" (Dytiscidae) and is perfectly outfitted for the water. Its body shape is streamlined and smooth, and it propels itself through the water with strong rear legs which broaden out like flat oar blades. When pulled through the water, they turn sideways, creating maximum thrust. When being drawn back, they are turned so as to glide through the water with almost no resistance - a technique so perfect that it must even impress professional rowers. With such incredible mobility, the diving beetle thrives in all types of waters, hunting tadpoles, insect larvae, and fish eggs. And should its pond dry up, it simply flies off to new shores. In this way it slogs through for several years, spending the cold winters under the ice and waiting for the spring when it can bring forth a new generation of master rowers. Magnification 361 at 15x15 cm image size.
Uploaded
May 19th, 2021
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