How trapped air layers endure repeated impacts while letting oxygen diffuse near the cuticle.
Category
Biology & morphology
Species traits, leg architecture, setae distribution, and cuticle chemistry that modulate wetting.
Timing, impulse distribution, and stride spacing that keep a spider stable while accelerating on a fluid.
How temperature, salinity, and contaminants shift the safety margin for water-walking spiders.
How hair density, geometry, and wax chemistry keep legs non-wetting even under repeated impacts.