Pondskater
- "I caught a pond skater! And it was doing a triple-toe axel!" —Animal Crossing
- "I caught a pond skater! Try to skate away from me!" —Wild World
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| Name: Gerris lacustris Family: Gerridae | ||||||
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| Name in other languages
アメンボ
水黾 Patineur Zapatero Gerride Водомерка
소금쟁이
水黽 Patineur Zapatero Wasserläufer Schaatsenrijder | ||||||
The Pondskater (known as the Pond Skater prior to Wild World) is a bug in the Animal Crossing series introduced in Animal Crossing. It can be found on the surface of bodies of freshwater.
Catch details[edit]
In Animal Crossing[edit]
In Wild World[edit]
"I caught a pondskater! Try to skate away from ME!"
| Description | They live off of bugs that fall into the water. |
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| Time of year | May - Sep |
| Time of day | 8 AM - 7 PM |
| Peak times | N/A |
| Location | On rivers and ponds |
| Bug size | 14 mm |
| Rarity | Uncommon |
| Selling price |  130 Bells
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| Furniture size | 
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In City Folk[edit]
"I caught a pond skater! Skate on over my way!"
| Description | For obvious reasons, these are also known as "magic bugs". |
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| Time of year | May - Sep |
| Time of day | 8 AM - 7 PM |
| Peak times | N/A |
| Location | On rivers and ponds |
| Bug size | 14 mm |
| Rarity | Uncommon |
| Selling price | 130 Bells
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| Furniture size |
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In New Leaf[edit]
"I caught a pond skater! Why aren't they called pondskiers?"
| Time of year | May - Sep |
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| Time of day | 8 AM - 7 PM |
| Peak times | Jun: 5 PM - 7 PM |
| Location | On rivers and ponds |
| Size | 15 mm |
| Rarity | Common |
| Selling price | 130 Bells
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| Furniture size |
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In New Horizons[edit]
"I caught a pondskater! Wonder if it can do a pond ollie..."
| Time of year | North: May – Sep South: Nov – Mar |
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| Time of day | 8 AM – 7 PM |
| Location | On rivers and ponds |
| Weather | Any weather |
| Spawn requirement | Appears from the start of the game |
| Selling prices |  Nook's Cranny: 130 Bells Flick: 195 Bells
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| Furniture size |
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Donating to the museum[edit]
Like all bugs and fish in the Animal Crossing series, the Pondskater can be donated to the museum by talking to Blathers the curator, who will tell the player a little bit about each donation.
In Animal Crossing[edit]
"I've always been curious... Why is it that these water striders choose to live their lives on the water? And skating across water without sinking? Unnatural! Blech! A grotesque affront to the natural order, wot wot!"
In Wild World[edit]
"Do you know how pond-skaters keep themselves above water, wot? The oil on the hairs of their feet repel water! Thusly they stay afloat. Which begs the question, if one were to shave their feet, would they sink? I daresay, I cannot think of a worse job than being the shaver of insect feet."
In City Folk[edit]
"Some say pond skaters smell like candy. Which means someone took the time to sniff one. ...Which means I just lost any appetite I might ever have for candy..."
It can be found in the bottom terrace of the insect exhibit, in the small pond.
In New Leaf[edit]
Upon being donated, the Pondskater can be found in the first room of the bug exhibit skating around the pond. The exhibit has this to say about the Pondskater:
"Pondskaters distinguish themselves by having the ability to run on the surface of water. They have a mouth part that lets them suck up bugs that fall on the water's surface. Their wings allow them to freely move to different parts of the water's surface if the need arises. Some say they smell like candy, which is a rather curious assosciation to make in the insect world."
In New Horizons[edit]
"Putrid pondskaters! They walk on water, you know...which is most preposterous! It is a trick they perform by secreting oil onto the hairs of their feet. To which I say BLEEECH! And one must wonder... What will they do next? Walk on air? Walk through walls? Perish the thought..."
When donated, the pondskater can be found on the surface of the water in the southwestern water tank of the bug exhibit. It shares this habitat with the diving beetle, giant water bug, and some donated fish.
Gallery[edit]
Animal Crossing
Animal Crossing: Wild World
Animal Crossing: New Leaf
Animal Crossing: New Horizons
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Real-world information[edit]
There are over 500 different variants of pond skaters, all with different body shapes, legs, wings, size, and mannerisms. The reason they "skate" along the water is because underneath their legs and their body, are thin, microscopic hairs which allows them to move across water tension with ease - they also have a slight wax coating, but research has proven that it is more down to the hairs than the wax properties. They have six legs, two pairs are long while the front pair are short and used as rudders. They are predatory insects, feeding on other insects that fall into the water, such as ants and even honey bees. They live in calm water areas, such as domestic ponds.
Names in other languages[edit]
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アメンボ amenbo |
Pondskater |
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소금쟁이 sogeumjeng-i |
Pondskater |
 
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水黾 / 水黽 shuǐmǐn |
Pondskater |
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Водомерка Vodomerka |
Pondskater |
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Schaatsenrijder | Pondskater |
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Wasserläufer | Pondskater (lit. "Water walker") |
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Zapatero | Pondskater |
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Patineur | Pondskater (lit. "skater") |
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Gerride | Pondskater (from family name Gerridae) |
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