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⬅ #37 mole cricket #38 pondskaterNH-Icon-pondskater #39 diving beetle ➡


Pondskater Gallery

"I caught a pondskater! Wonder if it can do a pond ollie..." —New Horizons

The pondskater (アメンボ, Amenbo?) is a fairly small bug found in ponds, where they skate on the surface. It appears during the summer months, from May/June to September. Because it is found on the water, it can be assumed that to catch it would require a fishing rod. However, just like other bugs, it can only be caught with a net when it is skating close to the sides of ponds. It can be difficult to find when motionless due to its size, but once it starts moving it is easy to see due to ripples in the water.

In Animal Crossing and Animal Forest e+ it can be found while it is raining. This is not true for later games.

Donation to the museum[]

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[]

"I've been 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[]

"Do you know how pondskaters 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."

After donation, the pondskater can be found skating on the pond's surface in the exhibit on the left of the first room.

In City Folk[]

"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 bug exhibit, in the small pond.

In New Leaf[]

After donating a Pondskater, the museum sign will read:

"Pondskaters distinguish themselves by having the ability to run on the surface of the 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 association to make in the insect world."

In New Horizons[]

When either donating to the museum or selecting "Tell me more about this!", Blathers the curator will say (with abhorrence):

"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..."

Capture quotes[]

"I caught a pond skater! And it was doing a triple-toe axel!" —Animal Crossing
"I caught a pondskater! Try to skate away from ME!" —Wild World
"I caught a pond skater! Skate on over my way!" —City Folk
"I caught a pondskater! Why aren't they called pond skiers?" —New Leaf
"I caught a pondskater! Wonder if it can do a pond ollie..." —New Horizons
Japanese Quotes

「あめんぼを 捕まえた!水の上なら まかしとけ?」 —Animal Forest e+

"I caught a pondskater! Is it okay on the water?" (translation)

Encyclopedia information[]

Wild World[]

Bug
Encyclopedia Information
Pondskater (Wild World) "They live off of bugs that fall into the water."
Size 14 mm
Time All day.
Season Summer.
Icon Pondskater (Wild World icon)

City Folk[]

Bug
Encyclopedia Information
Pond Skater (City Folk)
"For obvious reasons, these are also known as "magic bugs"."
Size About 14 mm
Time Noon
Season Summer

New Leaf[]

Bug
Encyclopedia Information
Pondskater
"I caught a pondskater! Why aren't they called pond skiers?"
Size 15 mm
Time Morning-Evening
Season Summer

New Horizons[]

Bug
Encyclopedia Information
NH-pondskater
"I caught a pondskater! Wonder if it can do a pond ollie..."
Current Active Hours Unknown
Months active (north) Unknown
Months active (south) Unknown

Further information[]

Pondskater take-off

A picture showing a Pond-skater take-off from a table.

There are over 500 different variants of Pond Skaters, all with different body shapes, legs, wings, size, and mannerisms. They "skate" along the water, utilizing microscopic hairs underneath their legs and body, which allow them to move across water tension with ease. They also have a slight waxy coating, but research has proven that it is rather their hairs which allow their "skating" movement. They need very still water to remain afloat, so they are most commonly found on ponds and puddles. They have six legs, the back 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.

In other languages[]

Pondskater
Language Name Translation
Japan Japanese アメンボ Amenbo -
France French Patineur -
Spain Spanish Zapatero -
Germany German Wasserläufer -
Italy Italian Gerride -
The Netherlands Dutch Schaatsenrijder -
Russia Russian Водомерка Vodomerka -
China Chinese 水黾/水黽 Shuǐmǐn -
South Korea Korean 소금쟁이 Sogeumjaengi -


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