whirligig beetles

This is a whirligig beetle (specifically Gyrinus aeratus) from northern Eurasia, photo taken by K.V. Makarov.  It looks almost like a product of Hayao Miyazaki's imagination.  (How many animals have legs, fins, and wings?)  I recently read about these beetles, and many other freshwater invertebrates, in the book Aquatic Entomology by W. Patrick McCafferty.  It was very easy to spot whirligig beetles in Fairbanks.  At the nearest pond hundreds of them were skimming along the surface, forming small dimples in the water.

The only way for me to get close enough to take a portrait shot was to net out a few of these little speedboats and temporarily confine them to a yogurt container.  A freshwater amphipod grasping a seed is also visible. 

Their bodies are perfectly adapted for navigating the interface between water and air.  Supported by the surface tension of the water, they diffract the light creating interesting patterns around them.

But their paddle shaped hind legs are not at all suited for walking.  A fact clearly demonstrated when I put one of the beetles on a piece of paper.  Another interesting specialization these beetles possess is two pairs of eyes, one pair for air and one pair under their body for the water.

Only a macro lens is capable of picking up this level of detail.  Photo from Photomacrography website.