Cricket Tricks for Jump Over Water's Surface

Pygmy mole cricket. (Picture from:
 http://www.natureworldnews.com/)

Not only skilled jump on land, pygmy mole crickets were also adept at jumping on the water surface. Recent research suggests, crickets hind legs work like a spring that throws the body out of the pond.

"Pygmy crickets utilize the surface tension of water as a foothold to jump," said Malcolm Burrows, a researcher from the University of Cambridge, England, December 4, 2012. The findings are published in the journal Current Biology.

Not all insects are able to take advantage of the water like a pygmies cricket. For some insects, the water level can actually be a trap. "Legs trapped water and insects become food fish," said Burrows.

Pygmy mole cricket spurs. (Picture from: http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/)

Burrows collected samples Xya capensis, crickets scientific name is from a pond in South Africa. He observed the insect jumping ability with a high speed camera. Through footage in slow motion, Burrows saw pygmies crickets have some sort of oars on their feet which serves to divide the surface of the water. Additional attributes on the rear legs that allows cricket body pushed up thrown into the air.

Paddles are packed with protein, such as rubber (resilin) this is very elastic. Resilin are also found in other insects and can save a lot of energy to be released quickly. For example, triggers wings fly at high speed.

Experts suggest that the makeup of the pygmy mole cricket's legs could be used to build small aquatic robots. "If we want to make small robotic vehicles that move under water, this is how we would have to design propellers or oars," Burrows said in a statement. "We would also have to use a material as good as resilin to impart elasticity, restore shape, and reduce drag." *** [LIVESCIENCE | MAHARDIKA SATRIA HADI | KORAN TEMPO 4075]
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