A fascinating new study published in the Journal of Experimental Biology has found that the silk diving bell of the European water spider, Argyroneta aquatica, is more than just a bubble-holding net: it actually functions like a gill, drawing oxygen from the surrounding water.
You can watch a water spider in action here. Notice how it pops its abdomen above the water surface to gather more air to drag back to the diving bell.
You can watch a water spider in action here. Notice how it pops its abdomen above the water surface to gather more air to drag back to the diving bell.