#oyama

So cute!

Also got this little cutie today!

Onimai

Onimai

Not the best photos, unfortunately, but there aren't many other options in Japan and the only real possibility has even longer legs.

Aquarius paludum is found in much of the east and west of Eurasia, and is one of the 10,000-odd species described and named by Danish zoologist Johan Christian Fabricius (1745 – 1808), a student of Linnaeus and probably one of the most important entomologists of the 18th Century. He was also the professor of natural history and economics at the University of Kiel from the mid-1770s until his death, despite three attempts to quit, one of which was thwarted when his students appealed to the King. He also believed that man originated from the great apes and that new species could be formed by the hybridization of existing species - correct on both counts.

As for the pond skater - the Gerridae are predatory bugs that walk on the surface of still or slow-moving water (or the ocean in the case of Halobates and other marine Gerrids) hunting for any unfortunate invertebrates that are trapped in the water tension. The avoid getting trapped themselves because they're covered in tens of thousands of microscopic water-repelling hairs, spread their weight out with their long legs, and row about with the aid of a fringe on the middle legs.

They're also notable for the number of species that have a variety of wing-sizes within one species - individuals with full-sized wings can fly to new ponds, but individuals that have smaller or absent wings can dedicate more resources to reproduction and are less likely to be weighed down by rain.

Gerrids communicate with each other by vibrating the surface of the water, to warn off other pond skaters, and identify mates. At least one species, Gerris gracilicornis, will deliberately endanger unwilling females by thrashing around in a way that attracts larger predators until she permits him to mate.