Why do insects like ants not get broken legs when falling from a distance like humans?

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I saw an ant on the table today, I brushed it aside and it fell on from the kitchen table to the floor, around 3 feet. I then saw the ant continue to move forward as if nothing happened. I feel a human may potentially break a leg if falling from a comparable height. So I’m curious, why did the ant not break any legs?

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Anonymous 0 Comments

The main things are:
– Weight, an ant is so much smaller than a human so the amount of potential force they have at any height is minuscule
– Terminal velocity, this is the top velocity something can get while falling in an atmosfere, in the case of the ant it’s relatively low density causes it to be quite slow

Here’s a great paper I recommend, it’s quite a fun and intersteing read: https://fathom.lib.uchicago.edu/2/21701757/

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