Many animals and insects die from falling as their bodies get heavily injured, which can cause damage to internal organs, and it is not possible for them to tolerate the pain.
However, ants have different body structures, sizes, and weights, making them different from others.
Can Ants Die From Falling? Ants do not die from falling as they have lower body mass and a large surface area that allows them to land safely on the ground. Moreover, their muscular legs and absence of bones make them strong enough to resist injuries. Furthermore, they have a hard exoskeleton for protecting internal organs and move slowly toward the ground due to less gravitational force.
The terminal velocity of an object determines the impact, which is air resistance and force of gravity on an object pulling it downward.
Larger animals have higher terminal velocities, but these tiny creatures have 5 to 6km/h velocity that keeps them floating in the air and ensures a safe landing on the ground.
Why do ants not die from falling?
Ants are strong animals that can kill a large insect or animal and resist internal and external damage after falling from taller buildings.
Less weight
The body weight of ants varies according to their size, but their average weight is approximately 2 to 4 mg, which means they have lighter bodies.
They do not have complex internal organs like animals, including lungs, hearts, and a complex digestive system. Less complexity of body parts and organs makes them lighter.
Their body consists of three parts; the head, thorax, and abdomen, and the last part is larger than the other two adding a little bit of weight to their bodies.
Lightweight objects have to face less attractive forces from the ground after falling from a height, so there is less force of gravity on their bodies.
Moreover, their lower body mass makes them strong as they do not have to suffer from high impact. Heavier bodies hit the ground with great force, resulting in bursting and explosions.
Accordingly, there is more force of attraction on the larger animals having high body mass, resulting in quick and destructive landings.
Muscular legs
Ants have six tiny legs having three to five segments. Their legs extend outward from the thorax region, getting power for muscle movement from the second segment of their body.
These tiny legs make them run fast as they can cover 2 to 3 feet distance in only one minute. Moreover, the legs can help them resist damage after falling from a height.
They have sharp claws and adhesive pads on their feet and tiny hair, providing better traction while moving on irregular, vertical, and slippery surfaces.
In addition, they can easily maintain a better grip on the floor and land safely on concrete, gravel, or soil surfaces on the pavement and garden.
Slow speed
Most commonly, ants have smaller bodies, as workers are almost 0.7 to 1.2 inches long, while the queen is a bit longer in size due to a larger abdomen and head.
The queen’s body size is around 1.5 to 2.5 inches bigger than other colony members, but it seems negligible to other insects and larger animals.
Moreover, they have smaller bodies, but the surface area is large due to lower body mass, which means there will be lesser air resistance.
It feels like a falling feather from the house balcony to the ground surface in the garden, and you will not hear any typical sound produced when heavy objects hit the ground hard.
Heavier bodies reach the ground quickly, with high air resistance, and hit the ground within a few seconds.
However, ants will reach the ground slowly, which can help reduce the severity of falls. As a result, they will not get badly injured like heavier animals and will maintain a stable position after a few seconds.
You can see them crawling after a short time duration as they can heal minor cuts quickly.
Little energy to dissipate
They have different energy requirements than other animals as their bodies consume food to get a small amount of energy that is utilized as they have to perform heavy tasks.
The workers consume need more energy as they have to navigate the surroundings, unlike resting ants or queens.
However, the total energy consumed by these insects is not enough to dissipate when they fall from a height. Therefore, heavier objects lose their potential energy after reaching the ground.
This potential energy gets converted into sound and heat energy that can be easily heard when an object falls on the surface.
Their smaller bodies have a small amount of stored energy that is not enough to get dissipated, so you will never see a dead ant if it has fallen from a tree.
Strong exoskeleton
They have a hard exoskeleton instead of the internal skeleton, which is usually present in larger animals, as these insects are part of the arthropods category.
They have no risk of breakage of bones and can efficiently withstand low impact after a fall. The exoskeleton is made of chitin, which is hard enough to protect the internal organs. Therefore they don’t die if you step on them.
Accordingly, there is no risk of blood loss or internal organ damage, as their exoskeleton has a good shock absorbance property and efficiently resists damage.
These insects are indestructible, and it is not easy to kill them by throwing them from the balcony, as they can re-enter the house to get their food after a short time.
When do ants die from falling?
Most commonly, ants can resist damage when falling from a building or a tree, but they can get damaged if a heavy substrate is attached to their bodies.
You can also give it a try by hanging an ant on a heavy object like a stone or brick and throwing it on the ground floor from the window of the first or second floor.
Their weight increases due to the attachment of heavy objects, resulting in a high impact. It can crush their bodies and break their limbs apart after hitting the ground.
Moreover, it can also die after being dropped if there is a pond under a tall tree, as it cannot maintain a floating position for long.
Furthermore, some insects get separated from colonies after falling from a tree or a nest in the window of the upper floors. A lonely and cannot survive, so it ultimately dies.
However, the reason for death will never be the impact on the ground, as their bodies can easily resist internal damage and regain their movement.
Can ants die from injury after falling?
Ants do not die from injury after a fall, as their bodies do not get damaged after hitting the ground. Instead, their organs are protected inside a hard exoskeleton that can help avoid severe damage.
Moreover, their bodies cannot feel pain as they have no such receptors on their bodies that can detect the damage and leading to death due to less tolerance to pain.
Some minor cuts and external injuries can occur, which can get cured over time. However, they cannot regenerate their lost limbs, but it is possible to heal cuts with the help of nest fellows.
So, there will be no internal injuries in an ant’s body when it falls from a height.
The falling distance does not matter as it can even tolerate impact after falling from the Empire State Building.
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