How Do Ants Hold Things?
WouterDespite being the smallest animals on Earth, ants have an amazing ability to lift and carry things. Their ability to do this comes from the complex mathematics behind the ant’s body structure. It also involves an exoskeleton on the outside of the ant’s body, which acts as a support for the joints of the neck and jaw.
Other insects such as Dung Beetles can also carry and lift heavy loads. However, their bodies are not designed to withstand the forces required for this type of lifting. It also makes it hard to maintain balance when lifting large weights.
Using computer simulations, John Wenzel, former director of the Museum of Biological Diversity at Ohio State, and his team were able to find out how ants use their bodies to lift and carry heavy loads. This could help engineers design robotics that mimic the ants’ ability to lift and carry heavy loads.
Researchers have long observed ants in the field. They found that ants use their bodies to carry objects many times their own weight. However, ants do not have a “captain ant” who leads the group. They also do not use their antennae to see, so they are not able to communicate while they are carrying things.
Ants have been shown to carry things up to 20 times their own weight, but they can carry objects up to several hundred times their own weight. The ants used in the study carried a weight about 500 mg, which is about 100 times their own body weight.
