Nature
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Remember those underwater levels in Sonic the Hedgehog where you had to collect air bubbles to survive? Turns out, bugs have been doing that since long before the Sega Mega Drive came along.
The rest of this article is behind a paywall. Please sign in or subscribe to access the full content.This awesome video from Deep Look YouTube channel shows the incredible techniques air-breathing insects use to hunt and live underwater, all in dazzling 4K video quality.
These bugs – such as water scorpions, long-toed water beetle and predaceous diving beetles – use the molecular properties of water to create miniature scuba diving tanks and spacesuits. The cohesive forces between water molecules essentially makes water molecules “stick” together, allowing bubbles to form against a wall of tension. These little insects are small enough to take advantage of this, by trapping a bubble in their outer wings or tiny bristles on their shell.
Another species that pulls this trick is the diving bell spider, which uses its silk webs to trap a pocket of air.
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