I recently saw this collection of pond skaters on our garden pond (see photo, left). Can anyone tell me what they were doing and why they adopted this strange formation?
a) Synchronised swimmingb) They are pretending to be a flower to tempt insects close enough to eatc) They all went for the same bit of food and got their legs tangled up
It depends on what stage of the game those skaters ae at. If it's half-time, they're in a huddle to discuss tactics. If the game's in progress, a row has broken out and punches are about to be thrown.
I often see flowers or other floating objects get caught up in a similar fashion when currents swirl them around. Perhaps that is what happened, they didn't fight the currents and the symmetry is a co-incidence?
They're merely planning an "Ocean's Eleven"-style heist on your home, in order to steal your precious bodily fluids. Or discussing mankind's inevitable downfall and their plans for that future.
They have not got their legs tangled up, but it does look as though they may have all gone for the same bit of food. Pond skaters, being true bugs, have sucking mouthparts, so they could all be feasting on a tasty morsel; a small dead fish, perhaps.