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That is all very fascinating....but nobody seems to be able to answer =
the more intriguing
( to us ) question....why did the two wasps fly off with dead ones?
Andy and Lelia Dean
86 Baden Powell Drive
Kentville, N.S.
(902) 678-6243
----- Original Message -----=20
From: Paul S. Boyer=20
To: naturens@chebucto.ns.ca=20
Sent: Saturday, October 02, 2010 8:49 PM
Subject: Re: [NatureNS] Wasp question
We often hear this said about insects and how strong they are.
I suspect that the main reason insects seem so strong is merely the =
scale factor. If ants are so mighty, why are there no really large ants =
around? Clearly, there is a scale factor which limits their size. It =
is not possible to build a viable ant larger than a certain size.
I cannot find any reference proving that ant muscles are actually =
stronger by weight than muscles in other creatures. Who knows? It =
might be interesting to find out. But it seems to me that the relative =
strength of a muscle is roughly proportional to its cross-sectional =
area. As one scales up the size of a muscle, the volume increases as =
the cube of the linear dimension, but the cross-sectional area only as =
the square. So a bigger animal will have trouble keeping up =
proportionate strength as it gets larger.
We could see this in a jumping contest. I have seen a wild Norway Rat =
leap laterally about 3 m, which is many times (perhaps x15) his length. =
A human Olympic athlete can't jump proportionally so far; and a bear =
(strong as he seems to us) is even a shorter jumper. And they say that =
an elephant is totally unable to jump at all!
Thus in a weight-lifting contest where the load is calculated as a =
multiple of the contestant=92s body weight, the small animals (other =
things being equal) should win. Insects, of course, are not formed at =
all like vertebrates, and in their size range an exoskeleton could have =
many advantages. Exoskeletons do not work at all in our size range, =
which is why there are not any really gigantic insects (except in our =
nightmares, or in sci-fi movies).
Similarly, we cannot scale humans down to ant size, and there are no =
mammals with that tiny an adult size.
Birds are another great example of scaling. Most birds are small. =
Only a few get very large, and as they do, they have more and more =
trouble taking off. The largest cannot fly at all.
So, whenever we hear that a certain insect has remarkable abilities at =
lifting weight or jumping, we should be impressed =97 but not too much, =
for they are in a size range which puts them in a different league from =
us mammals. Then if we can figure out the importance of the size factor =
in biomechanics, we will really be getting somewhere in understanding =
how different creatures work.
On 25 Sep 2010, at 4:25 PM, D W Bridgehouse wrote:
Since wasps , bees and ants are lumped into same order of =
Hymenoptera its also interesting that ants can carry items 10 =96 50 =
times their own body weight.Ants are small but they are very strong for =
their size. If you were that strong you could lift an automobile. The =
ants carry or drag heavy loads for food back to their nests. The food =
may be parts of plants or bits of dead animals.
More food for thought J
From: naturens-owner@chebucto.ns.ca =
[mailto:naturens-owner@chebucto.ns.ca] On Behalf Of andy dean
Sent: September-25-10 12:57 PM
To: naturens@chebucto.ns.ca
Subject: [NatureNS] Wasp question
Attention of any budding or professional entyologists in the =
group.
One morning recently my wife and I discovered about 50 dead wasps =
on the garage floor , just inside the door, and attributed it to a =
natural 'end-of-season' phenomenon....does that seem correct?
More bemusing was the fact that whilst we sat with the garage =
door open, drinking our morning coffee, we twice witnessed a wasp fly in =
and after examining a corpse lift it and fly off with it.....anybody =
know what that was all about?
It was mind-boggling to realize that the weight of the corpse in =
relation to the live wasp would have been the equivalent of me lifting =
my wife bodily off the ground and flying off with her ......a sobering =
thought !
Andy and Lelia Dean
86 Baden Powell Drive
Kentville, N.S.
(902) 678-6243
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<DIV><FONT size=3D2 face=3DArial>That is all very fascinating....but =
nobody seems to=20
be able to answer the more intriguing</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=3D2 face=3DArial> ( to us ) question....why =
did the two=20
wasps fly off with dead ones?</FONT></DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=3D2 face=3DArial>Andy and Lelia Dean<BR>86 Baden Powell=20
Drive<BR>Kentville, N.S.<BR>(902) 678-6243<BR></FONT></DIV>
<BLOCKQUOTE=20
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<DIV style=3D"FONT: 10pt arial">----- Original Message ----- </DIV>
<DIV=20
style=3D"FONT: 10pt arial; BACKGROUND: #e4e4e4; font-color: =
black"><B>From:</B>=20
<A title=3Dpsboyer@eastlink.ca =
href=3D"mailto:psboyer@eastlink.ca">Paul S.=20
Boyer</A> </DIV>
<DIV style=3D"FONT: 10pt arial"><B>To:</B> <A =
title=3Dnaturens@chebucto.ns.ca=20
href=3D"mailto:naturens@chebucto.ns.ca">naturens@chebucto.ns.ca</A> =
</DIV>
<DIV style=3D"FONT: 10pt arial"><B>Sent:</B> Saturday, October 02, =
2010 8:49=20
PM</DIV>
<DIV style=3D"FONT: 10pt arial"><B>Subject:</B> Re: [NatureNS] Wasp=20
question</DIV>
<DIV><BR></DIV>We often hear this said about insects and how strong =
they are.
<DIV><BR></DIV>
<DIV>I suspect that the main reason insects <I>seem</I> so strong is =
merely=20
the scale factor. If ants are so mighty,