Living on the water. Loons are made for living on the water. The torpedo-like body is streamlined for swimming underwater. The legs of a loon are set far back on its body to work like oars with its large webbed feet. The body color, dark on top and light on the bottom makes loons less visible to fish as they swim.
Some scientists think the loon s red eyes help it see better underwater.
Because the loon s legs are so far back on its body and because its body is so long, loons have trouble taking-off. A loon has to run across the water for up to mile beating its wings in order to get enough lift to take off. This need for a long runway means that loons need a certain size lake in order to take off. You ll rarely find a loon in lakes under 9 or 10 acres. The loon dance.