Pygmy mole crickets jump from water
Summary Animals that live or repeatedly alight on the surface of water often need to escape from predators or return to land. We show that flightless pygmy mole crickets use a new strategy to jump rapidly from water. Their powerful hind legs are moved so quickly that they penetrate the surface and as they move through the water, unique arrays of spring-loaded paddles and spurs fan out to increase surface area. This enables these insects to propel a large volume of water downwards in a laminar flow, so that they are launched upwards into the air.