In walking limbs, the range of motion and control decreases as you move away from the body. In limbs made for manipulation things are less consistent. The human shoulder is a lot like the coxa in ants, it allows a wide range of movements in multiple dimensions. The elbow only allows one dimension of motion.
Ants have many more joints after that but they are like a stiff chain, no fine control. However, ants can flex their claws and expand and retract their foot pads.
Mark likes this.
reshared this
myrmepropagandist
in reply to myrmepropagandist • • •Ants use their front two legs differently from the back legs. They may use these limbs to dig or hold objects in place when manipulating them with their mandibles. The coxa of the front leg is often longer while all of the other segments are shorter. Ants have a comb on their front legs which they use for grooming—
I don’t think the front legs are used for manipulation in enough ways to have that be their primary purpose but there is a distinction that makes them more like “arms”
Citoyen européen Ray Hindle ✔️
in reply to myrmepropagandist • • •llewelly
in reply to myrmepropagandist • • •Mark likes this.
myrmepropagandist reshared this.
llewelly
in reply to llewelly • • •llewelly
in reply to llewelly • • •myrmepropagandist
in reply to llewelly • • •myrmepropagandist
in reply to myrmepropagandist • • •llewelly
in reply to myrmepropagandist • • •wow, that's neat.
Are scale insects wax producers?
Thank you for these neat ant facts.
myrmepropagandist
in reply to llewelly • • •Allan Chow
in reply to llewelly • • •myrmepropagandist
in reply to myrmepropagandist • • •myrmepropagandist reshared this.
myrmepropagandist
in reply to myrmepropagandist • • •Can't find my video, but this one is better. It's "silver ants" or Cataglyphis bombycina
(no it's not speed up, they really move like that, when they spin in a circle they are looking for the sun so they will know how to get back to their nest. )
youtu.be/5089nKofSvw
myrmepropagandist
in reply to myrmepropagandist • • •myrmepropagandist reshared this.
small, primitive, wingless
in reply to myrmepropagandist • • •myrmepropagandist
in reply to small, primitive, wingless • • •@silverfish
They use their mandible with wet soil. The "dog style" sand flicking is only for dry substrate.