How Much of Their Body Weight Can Ants Carry?
WouterUntil recently, scientists believed that ants could carry up to 1,000 times their own weight. Several researchers have observed ants in the wild carrying loads much larger than their bodies. But now, researchers have found that ants can carry loads up to 5,000 times their own weight.
According to researchers, ants have a structure in their necks that allows them to carry heavy loads in the wild. The neck has bumps on the inside to help the ant shoulder large loads. In addition, the muscles in the neck are stronger and thicker than those in other animals, so they can produce more force per milligram.
Researchers found that American field ants could carry a load up to 5,000 times their own weight. Allegheny mound ants can carry a potato chip and a worm. Leafcutter ants can lift 9,000 pounds.
A researcher at The Ohio State University, John Wenzel, worked closely with engineers to study ants’ strength. Using a centrifuge, he was able to raise forces on the ants that were 3,400 to 5,000 times their average weight.
The scientists also used microcomputed tomography to reconstruct a 3-D model of the ant’s neck joint. The neck structure doesn’t allow the ant to tell how much weight it can carry, but it does show that it can handle the load.
Researchers are still studying ants’ muscles and whether similar joints could allow robots to mimic their weight-lifting abilities. A computer simulation can help researchers answer the question of whether they can scale up similar structures.
