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John Clayton
Scientists in Krakow, Poland were amazed to see a single ant holding
a dead bird in the air that weighed 500 times more than the ant
did. That would be equivalent to a human who weighed 200 pounds
holding 50 tons in the air. A number of questions are raised
by such a discovery.
The first question might be why such a huge force would ever be
needed by the ant whose colonies can number a half million individuals
and cover six square miles. To feed such a colony, large prey
is needed and transporting that prey efficiently requires force.
We do not deliver a load of gravel a piece at a time, and neither
does the ant.
The second question might be how do they do it? The secret turns
out to be in the ant's feet where electron microscopes reveal
powerful suction pads called arolia between the ant's tarsal claws.
Other ants have arolia, but the adhesive characteristics of the
weaver ant's arolia give it the unique ability to support huge
loads.
Ants have many lessons to teach us. The power of unity and cooperation,
the importance of the wise use of resources, the value of keeping
busy and not wasting time, and the incredible wisdom built into
the design of all living things. "Go to the ant, thou sluggard;
condider her ways, and be wise:" (Proverb 6:6).
This article taken from: Does God Exist?, July/Aug 1997.
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