Dec 03, Biology/Plants & Animals "Pygmy mole crickets have
solved the most difficult task of jumping from the surface of
water," says Malcolm Burrows of the University of Cambridge.
"For small insects, water can be a deadly, sticky trap: water
grabs and holds an insect, offering it as an appetizing snack
for an alert fish. Pygmy mole crickets turn the stickiness of
water to their advantage and use this property to enable
jumping." Burrows came across this unique cricket behavior one
day while sitting by the side of a pond in South Africa eating
his lunch. He heard some odd noises coming from the direction of
the pond and, after getting a closer look, discovered some
insects jumping from the water toward the bank. He did what any
good scientist would do: he caught a few and took them back to
the lab, where he and colleague Gregory Sutton could catch their
talents on high-speed film. [video is available in the full
version of this article (see link below)] That's when he
discovered the insect's oar-like paddles