Instead of webbing, each of the American coot's toes has two or three wide, scalloped lobes!
Webbed Wonder
In the water, those lobes spread out like paddles, helping the coot push smoothly as it swims. On land, they pull a clever trick.
When the coot lifts its leg to take a step, the lobes fold back and out of the way, making it easy to stroll across mud, grass, and even snow.
Walking on Water?
And the coot saves its best move for last. Before taking flight, it runs across the surface of the water, feet pattering away, until it lifts off into the sky. Talk about a running start!
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The American coot is just one of the wild, wonderful discoveries waiting in Ripley's Believe It or Not! Wired Into Weird, our newest annual.
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