Which Insect Is the Strongest?

Relative to body weight, the horned dung beetle is the strongest animal on Earth, capable of pulling a load 1,141 times its own body weight — equivalent to a 70 kg human pulling six double-decker buses. This extraordinary strength evolved through sexual selection: male dung beetles fight rivals for access to females by pushing them out of tunnels, and stronger males win mating rights. The rhinoceros beetle can carry 850 times its body weight, and leafcutter ants can carry objects 50 times their weight. In absolute terms, of course, larger animals are far stronger; but proportionally, insects and arachnids dominate.