How Strong Are Ants Compared to Humans?
WouterSuppose you’re asked the question: how strong are ants compared to humans? Ants are not the strongest insect in the world, but they are very strong. They have strong necks and limbs, which make them capable of lifting objects that weigh many times their own weight. And they have an exoskeleton that assists in joint-strength in the neck and jaw.
The amount of weight that an ant can lift depends on how much surface area it has. Ants have a small body mass, but their surface area increases by length. This allows them to carry things that weigh a few thousand pounds. And their muscles have a larger cross-sectional area than those of larger animals.
If you put one hundred and fourteen million human-sized ants together, you would have enough weight to lift a 150-pound person. However, ants aren’t designed to move on such a large scale. Using a few ants, you could lift a person a few centimeters, but you would struggle to carry him or her.
Ants are also very strong for their size. In fact, they have the ability to lift ten times their own weight. And some ants can lift up to fifty times their own weight.
The question of how strong are ants compared to humans is a complicated one. The main reason is that their size and volume affect their strength. Ants have weak muscles, but they can support a lot of weight with their necks.
