Some ant species can lift objects many times heavier than themselves—often cited as up to 50 times—thanks to their small size, efficient muscle architecture and rigid exoskeleton that together produce exceptional strength relative to body mass
Observations from missions
Field observations and laboratory tests show ants routinely carry food items, nest material and prey far heavier than an individual’s body weight. The exact multiple varies by species, task and measurement method but commonly ranges from about 10× to 50× their mass.
Why they are so strong
Ants’ strength comes from scaling effects, a powerful ratio of muscle cross‑section to body volume, and a stiff exoskeleton that transmits force efficiently. At small scales muscles produce relatively greater force and the exoskeleton avoids internal structural constraints that larger animals face.
Recent evidence and imagery
Biomechanics studies and high‑speed imaging reveal specialized muscle fiber arrangements and joint mechanics that maximise force production, while comparative work across species links stronger load‑carrying ability to ecological roles such as foraging and colony provisioning.
Implications for science
Understanding ant biomechanics informs robotics, materials science and bioinspired design by showing how scale, structure and muscle arrangement achieve high force efficiency, and it helps ecologists predict how ants solve engineering tasks within colonies.
Takeaway
Ants’ apparent superstrength—lifting many times their own weight—is a product of size‑dependent physics, efficient muscles and an exoskeleton, a biological solution that enables colony success and inspires human engineering.