These animals’ webbed feet, hairy legs and tails make them masters of the water

Lots of features can help an animal master the water: the shape of its body, its fur, a tail, feather-like arms, webbed feet, or even legs covered in tiny hairs.

Many animals — and even some insects — are considered semiaquatic, living on both land and water. Here are just a few examples:

Platypus

An underwater view of the unique duck-billed platypus. (AP Photo)

  Buy Photo

prev

next

The platypuses’ front webbed feet help them hunt for food underwater, and they steer with their hind feet and beaver-like tail, according to National Geographic.

Platypuses can stay submerged in water for up to two minutes. Folds of skin create a watertight seal over their eyes and ears to keep water out. They eat insects, larvae, shellfish and worms from the bottom of rivers and streams.

On dry land, they use their nails to dig in to the earth and run.

Capybara

A capybara jumps into the Jaguari dam in Braganca Paulista, Brazil. (AP Photo/Andre Penner)

  Buy Photo

prev

next

The capybara is the largest rodent in earth. It’s described by National Geographic as a “semiaquatic mammal” with a pig-shaped body. This strong swimmer is closely related to the guinea pig.

Capybaras also have webbed feet to paddle through water. Their small eyes, nose and ears are located high on their head, so they are not submerged underwater with the rest of their body, allowing them to remain alert to predators.

Water striders

A water strider. (Photo by Dr. Dwayne Meadows, courtesy of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration)

  Buy Photo

prev

next

Water striders are insects with tiny hairs on their legs that repel water and capture air to help it “walk on water,” according to the National Wildlife Federation.

This insect uses surface tension on top of still water to stay afloat. Water molecules at the surface like to stay together, which creates tension and a “delicate membrane” water strides can walk on.

Feather star

A feather star crinoid. (Photo by Linda Wade, courtesy of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration)

  Buy Photo

prev

next

While the platypus, capybaras and water striders live on land and hunt for food in the water, the feather star is a type of crinoid, a marine animal which includes the starfish and sea urchins.

The feather star has many fringed, “feather-like” arms extending from a central body covered in tiny, tube feet that helps it move through water to catch plankton and other small food floating in the water, according to Australian Geographic.

Feather stars can have between five and 200 arms that can grow up to a foot long. They can shed their arms like a lizard as an anti-predator response.

Comments: (319) 398-8411; grace.king@thegazette.com