How do ants walk upside down?
USDA-ARS K5388-1/ Scott Bauer.
DB: This is Earth and Sky, with a question from a listener. “How can ants walk upside down without falling?”
JB: Actually, many kinds of ants can’t walk upside down. It’s mostly the tree–dwelling ants who can perform these sorts of acrobatics. Ants that live on trees tend to be excellent climbers. They have tiny, hooked claws at the ends of their feet which help them walk on the undersides of leaves and limbs. Much like a human rock climber uses a hook, ants use their claws to cling to jagged features of the surface.
DB: What looks like a smooth surface to a human might be a craggy surface full of toeholds to an ant. But even ants would have a tough time walking upside down on a truly smooth surface. Say you buried a glass jar in the ground with the lip flush with the ground surface. Ants would collect at the bottom, since they’d be unable to scale the walls.
JB: Other common insects like cockroaches have no trouble walking upside down on truly smooth surfaces. Like ants – and most other insects – cockroaches have tiny claws at the ends of their feet. But they also have special, sticky pads between their claws that can form a tight seal with a smooth surface – so you don’t have to worry about them dropping down from the ceiling. If you have an Earth or sky question, we hope you’ll visit our web site at earthsky.org. We’re Block and Byrd for Earth and Sky.
