Insects have muscles and they are extremely strong.
An insect can lift twenty or more times its body weight, while most people can lift their own weight or a little more.
Insects have their “bones” on the outside, but the attachment points for muscles are on the inside.
The muscles are linked to little inward extensions of cuticle, the layers of skin. The strength comes from the cross-hatching of muscle fibers.
The musculature can be very complex.
The wings, for example, may be worked by five groups of muscles that pull on different parts of the body, like points on a pentagon.
This enables an insect to move its wings not just up and down, but in twisting patterns to angle them properly against the air.
