Why Can't Ants Be Bigger? - pestwhisperer.com

Despite their size, ants are very strong. They can carry objects up to 50 times their own weight. They are also very fast. The average ant can run at 300 meters per hour.

But why aren’t ants bigger? Scientists are still not sure. One possible reason is that they don’t have an efficient respiratory system. However, researchers have found that certain species can grow 20 percent larger in a single generation.

In the past, insects were much larger. Their wingspans were around six feet. In fact, the oxygen content of the atmosphere was 35 percent 300 million years ago. That’s a big deal in biological terms. Today, the atmosphere is about 21 percent.

Insects need space for their muscles and other organs. They also need to have room for air. The ant’s spiracles are a great way for it to get oxygen, but it can only do so through a network of tubes. The ant’s lungs have an unusually high surface area to volume ratio.

However, the ant’s lungs wouldn’t be able to provide enough oxygen to its body. So, it would suffocate. This would also mean that its legs wouldn’t be able to support the weight.

There are other reasons why ants aren’t bigger. Their muscles aren’t as big as those of bigger animals. But they have much thicker muscles. They also can produce more force per milligram. This is because of the larger cross-sectional area of their muscles.