In the realm of wild animals, one can witness a wide range of astonishing behaviours and phenomena. Whether it’s migrating birds navigating by the sun and other stars or snakes detecting infrared radiation, examples of creatures exploiting advanced science abound. The “Jesus lizard” walking on water is one such example. In a recent tweet, Indian Forest Services (IFS) official Susanta Nanda described the simple physics behind this amazing performance. Readers will be astounded by the video and his explanation.
A lizard can be seen perched on a branch projecting from a stagnant water body in the video, which Nanda uploaded on Twitter. Most non-swimming flightless organisms would be unable to reach dry land from this vantage point because they are surrounded by water on all sides. But not this reptile! The lizard leaps into (or rather, upon) the water in the video. The creature’s hind limbs flail in the air for a brief moment, almost as if it is attempting to walk in the air. The lizard then dashes into the water! And it continues to run on the sea till it reaches the shore. The reptile appears to be putting one foot after the other on the water’s surface so quickly that there is no time to drown.
Nanda described how the animal can achieve this in the tweet’s caption. He wrote, “Physics at work…” and added, “surface tension, the force created when water molecules cling together, becomes dominant, allowing small animals to walk effortlessly over water bodies.”
Physics at work…
Surface tension,the force created when water molecules cling together, becomes dominant, allowing small animals to walk effortlessly over water bodies. pic.twitter.com/LqjTU6vEUt
— Susanta Nanda (@susantananda3) November 30, 2022
It is uncertain which lizard species was captured in Nanda’s video. The Green Basilisk, often known as the Jesus lizard, is the reptile best identified with this running-on-water behaviour. This lizard can reach speeds of almost five feet per second. Because the lizard in the video does not appear to have the large crest on top of its head that male Green Basilisks have, it is possible that this is a female Green Basilisk.
Animals as little as the mosquito-like Water Strider and as large as the Western Grebe may walk on water due to their light bodies or by slapping the water with enough power to prevent drowning.
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