By Andrew Hough Published: 8:00AM GMT 20 Feb 2010
An Asian Weaver ant, upside down on a smooth surface, and carrying a weight in its jaws. The amazing picture was snapped by scientists at Cambridge University by a team in the department of zoology investigating the extraordinary sticky feet of ants and other insects.
The image, taken by Dr Thomas Endlein, shows an Asian weaver ant, upside down on a smooth surface, carrying a 500mg weight in its jaws.
Mouse in battle to escape swollen river Goose photographed flying upside down The grown-up gapper: in the jungle Biomimicry: why the world is full of intelligent design Hollywood personal trainers: the transformersOther pictures in the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC) science photo competition included a crow using a stick to fish food, a killer whale and a salmon caught in a net.
"It won first prize because it was a beautiful image and managed to convey complex science," said the BBSRC.
Weaver ants use their feet and their legs to achieve their sticky feats.
Dr Endelin: said: "Ants can change the size and shape of the pads on their feet depending on the load they are carrying. If they have to carry heavy loads they increase the contact area, and when they need to run they decrease it."
The ants" legs also play a part in the insects" stickiness by making clever use of what scientists call "peeling forces".
"If you think about peeling off sticky tape from a surface, it"s easiest when you peel at a steep, rather than a shallow, angle.
"Ants use the same mechanism: when they want to stick, they keep their legs at a shallow angle relative to the surface, and when they want to release their legs they increase this angle and peel off easily," he added.
