Which anatomical features of ants allow them to carry so much weight? (BioE80 Spr2015)

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miglesias

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Entomologists estimate that ants can carry 10-50 times their body weight. By comparison, an average man can lift 155 pounds, so roughly 1 times our body weight. What part of ant anatomy makes them so much better suited than us to support immense loads?
To answer these questions, I explored the ground on the engineering quad and found a little community of ants growing in the soil of a flower bed. I placed one of these ants under the foldscope and began to zoom in on its legs.
Based on my observations, a possible explanation is that ant legs are more segmented than ours. After doing some quick research, I confirmed that while the main segments in our legs are only the femur and tibia, ants have the coxa, trocantor, femur, tibia, and a segmented taurus. Another clear observation is that ants simply have more legs than we do (they have six).As I was looking at the ant more carefully, I realized that it is not only their legs that support the weight, but their abdomen. Their long backs give them a greater surface area, which reduces the pressure from the weight and eases the load.
While there are some clear structural differences between ant and human legs, it would be interesting to see with a more zoomed in microscope any other features that might contribute to its stability. For example, the samples show faint little hairs on the legs, but they are not zoomed in enough to make a definite conclusion about its usage.
Contributors: Maria Iglesias

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