After all, a robot with legs of hollow steel is essentially a mechanical beetle. But when we really start to make a practical, autonomous, payload-carrying robot, energy conservation will become much more important. Register or Log In. The Magazine Shop. Login Register Stay Curious Subscribe. The Sciences. Newsletter Sign up for our email newsletter for the latest science news. Sign Up. Already a subscriber?
Named for the rhinoceros-like horn on its head, the rhino beetle uses its horn and proportional strength to move aside branches and other debris in search of food. Rhino beetles are neither ferocious nor particularly dangerous. They eat rotting fruit and sap, and despite their fierce horned appearance do not bite or sting when handled.
These gentle insects may not be hulk-like in demeanor, but their strength might turn other creatures green with envy. A Moment of Science is a daily audio podcast, public radio program and video series providing the scientific story behind some of life's most perplexing mysteries.
The key here is to recognize that an animal's weight is related to its volume, which is a three-dimensional measurement arrived at by calculating a cubic measurement. But the strength of a muscle, on the other hand, is a two-dimensional measurement, arrived at by multiplying only two numbers, length by width. The discrepancy here is what creates the difference in relative strength between large and small animals.
In larger animals, the much greater volume and mass mean that muscle strength must be far greater to maintain the same level of strength relative to body weight. In larger animals, muscles also have the added burden of moving the larger body volume and mass along with whatever object is being lifted.
A tiny ant or other insect has a strength advantage because of the larger ratio of surface area to volume and mass. An ant's muscles have a fairly small load required to lift its own body, leaving plenty of muscle power to move other objects. Adding to this is the fact that an insect's body is inherently lightweight relative to its volume when compared to other animals. Structurally, insects do not have internal skeletons as do vertebrate animals, but instead, have a hard exoskeleton shell.
Without the weight of internal bones, the insect's weight can comprise a higher amount of muscle. Ants are the insects we most commonly observe lifting heavy objects, but they are far from the strongest members of the insect world. Isn't it incredible to imagine the strength of a dung beetle!
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Tillman's 4th grade class are here! We like your thought process The bones in our bodies, which protect our organs, are heavy compared to the stick-like legs of an insect. What a great Wonder! We hope you are enjoying this Wonder Wednesday! See you soon!
We sure did learn something new about ants, too! Thanks for joining the fun today, Ms. Bayko's Class! We can't wait to find out what tomorrow's Wonder will be We are very impressed with these insects' weight lifting skills, too, Mrs. We sure did learn a lot with you today!
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Thanks for your patience. Drag a word to its definition. You have answered 0 of 3 questions correctly and your score is:. Want to add a little wonder to your website? Help spread the wonder of families learning together. We sent you SMS, for complete subscription please reply. Follow Twitter Instagram Facebook. Do insects work out? What are some of the strongest insects?
How much weight can a leafcutter ant carry? Wonder What's Next? Try It Out Are you ready to pump iron? Ask a friend or family member to help you explore the following activities: Would you like to be as strong as an ant? If so, you'd better start working out! Those muscles aren't going to grow big by themselves. Grab a friend or family member and do some simple tests around the house to measure your current level of strength.
Start with a 5-pound bag of flour or sugar. Can you lift it easily? What about two bags? How about a pound bag of dog food? If you have free weights at home, you can try lifting these, too. Be sure you have an adult with you, though. It's always important to make sure you're being careful when you're lifting weights or doing any type of exercise.
If you don't have free weights at home, don't worry! You don't need special equipment to lift weights. Your body has weight! You can do many exercises, from push-ups to sit-ups to pull-ups, using only your body's own weight as the force you're lifting or pushing or pulling.
Even though you'll probably never be able to lift something 50 times your own body weight, exercising and building up your muscles can still benefit you. Being a healthier, stronger person will help you enjoy life as much as possible! Did you realize all your muscles have names? No, we don't mean names like Joe, Bob, and Henry.
Every muscle in your body has a scientific name that doctors and scientists use to identify it. Check out Muscle Charts of the Human Body online to learn more about the names of the muscles in your body! Did you get it? Test your knowledge. What are you wondering? Wonder Words athlete muscle dung average impressive colony strong huge lift size ton beetle exercise humble incredibly comparison scientific overall Take the Wonder Word Challenge.
Join the Discussion. Apr 11, Happy to help, adrian! What are some of the cool facts that you've learned? I like this one wonder. Sep 16, Why are ants smart with that little brain of theirs. May 2, Colton Sep 30, Wonderopolis Sep 30, Celia Hoosier Mar 19, Eric S Feb 8, Eric Scaefer 7. Feb, at pm The most interesting thing to me in the article was that the Dung Beetle could lift more than 1, pounds than what they weigh. That is impressive. I weigh 80 pounds and I could not lift 80, pounds no matter what.
That would be a lot of cars. I also thought it was amazing how the leafcutter ant is able to lift 50 times its own tiny weight with just its teeth. Insects do not have to work out because they are so tiny.
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