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Updated: Jul 6, 2025

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Published on: September 2, 2016
Whirligig beetle uses lift-based thrust for fastest insect swimming
Yukun Sun1, Jena Shields2, Chris Roh1
1Biological and Environmental Engineering, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY 14853, USA.
Abstract:
Whirligig beetles (Gyrinidae) are the fastest-swimming insects. The one-centimeter long aquatic beetle can reach a peak acceleration of 100 m s-2 and a top velocity of 100 body lengths per second. Previous studies have suggested that drag-based thrust by their hind legs is responsible for their propulsion1,2,3,4. For the drag-based thrust to be effective, however, the leg stroke velocity must exceed the swimming velocity. Therefore, for fast-swimming whirligigs, it is unlikely that the drag-based thrust is the main source of acceleration5. Here, we demonstrate that lift-based thrust enables the rapid swimming of the whirligigs.
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