How Crazy Ants Carry Heavy Loads
WouterUsing individual and collective muscle power, ants can carry a heavy load. Ants can carry an object twenty times their weight, and even larger insects. But how does one do it?
Scientists have studied ants for years. Researchers have tagged ants, studied the behaviors of various species, and built models. They have studied the motion of an ant’s head and neck, which are used to support it forward and upward. They also have analyzed the movement of the neck, which can stretch at 350 times its body weight.
Researchers from the Weizmann Institute of Science in Israel studied longhorn crazy ants, a group of insects that can carry a large load. They put the ants in an arena with a dotted line around them, and monitored their movements.
The ants were able to carry objects up to eight centimeters in diameter. This is larger than anything nature has ever seen, and it’s not a simple task. They must work as a team. They also have to find food. The ants chomp down on food, which is then smaller in size, making it easier for them to carry.
During this process, they are surrounded by other ants, which give them direction. The ants also trade off their leading positions. They might move a food item one direction, then move it in a different direction.
They also use chemicals called pheromones to communicate with each other. This allows them to share information about where they are and what they are doing.
