Many 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 semi-aquatic, living on both land and water. Here are just a few examples:
Platypus
An underwater shot of the unique platypus. (AP photo)
The platypus’ front webs help them hunt for food underwater, and they steer with their hind legs and beaver-like tail, according to National Geographic.
Platypus can stay underwater for up to two minutes. Skin folds 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 and run in the earth.
capybara
A capybara jumps into the Jaguari Dam in Braganca Paulista, Brazil. (AP Photo/Andre Penner)
A capybara jumps into the Jaguari Dam in Braganca Paulista, Brazil. (AP Photo/Andre Penner)
The capybara is the largest rodent on Earth. It is 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 for paddling through water. Their small eyes, nose and ears are set high on their heads so they are not submerged with the rest of their bodies, keeping them on the alert for predators.
ice skaters
A water sports enthusiast. (Photo by Dr. Dwayne Meadows, courtesy of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration)
A water sports enthusiast. (Photo by Dr. Dwayne Meadows, courtesy of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration)
Ice skates are insects with tiny hairs on their legs that repel water and trap air to help it “walk on water,” according to the National Wildlife Federation.
This insect uses surface tension on top of standing water to stay afloat. Water molecules on the surface like to stick together, creating tension and a “delicate membrane” for spirit levels to run on.
Feather star
A feather star crinoid. (Photo by Linda Wade, courtesy of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration)
A feather star crinoid. (Photo by Linda Wade, courtesy of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration)
While the platypus, capybaras, and skater skates live on land and hunt for food in the water, the feather star is a type of crinoid, a marine animal that includes the starfish and sea urchins.
The feather star has many fringed, “feather-like” arms that extend from a central body covered in small tube feet that help it move through water to catch plankton and other small foods 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 in response to predators.
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