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Lily pads are surprisingly strong [1]

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Date: 2026-01-17  

Watch an adorable pair of ducklings walk across lily pads over a pond. The tiny birds run across them with ease. Amid all the bad news, it's nice to see a corner of earth that looks like a storybook scene.

Ducklings can walk across lily pads because they're extremely light and the pads are surprisingly strong. Lily pads have thick, fibrous leaves reinforced with sturdy veins, acting like natural bridges for small critters.

Surface tension also helps lily pads stay afloat and stable as ducklings move across them. Adult ducks are much heavier—their weight overwhelms the pads' structural limits, making them impossible to use as stepping stones.

See also: The creepy-cool fun of having a backyard critter cam

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[1] Url: https://boingboing.net/2026/01/17/lily-pads-are-surprisingly-strong.html

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