Basilisk Lizards Found to Use Air Pockets to ‘Walk on Water’

Massachusetts scientists have discovered the secret of lizards that walk on water, but humans who wish to duplicate the trick are likely to get very wet. A team from Harvard University reported in the March 28 issue of Nature that basilisk lizards can skim across the water because each time their legs touch the surface, they create a series of underwater air cavities large enough to support the tiny creatures’ weight.

The lizards move at such speed that they can lift their legs and continue across the water before the cavity disappears. But human beings wanting to repeat the trick would have to move at 65 mph, the scientists said.