why are there no really large arthropods? what could be engineering-type factors limiting body size?
2007-08-16 06:19:11 · 2 answers · asked by Anonymous in Science & Mathematics ➔ Biology
It's all in the exoskeleton. As the mass and weight of the inside part increases, the exoskeleton has to get ridiculously thick and correspondingly heavy to support it, to the point that such a creature would be unable to have muscle strength to move itself enough to find food, mate, etc.
It's no fun watching those 50s horror movies with giant ants, spiders, etc. with a "science person."
2007-08-16 06:32:56 · answer #1 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋
Partly the exoskeleton as M. B. tells you.
Also the 'book lung` which is not efficient
enough, scaled up, to support respiration in
the greater body mass.
2007-08-17 00:51:04 · answer #2 · answered by Irv S 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋