A study that identifies how ants operate as a colony has shown that ants can lift heavy things but lack the sense of direction, reports Pioneer News.

"The individual ant has the idea of how to pass an obstacle but lacks the muscle power to move the load," explains study author Ofer Feinerman, a researcher at the Weizmann Institute of Science in Israel.

"The group is there to amplify the leader's strength so that she can actually implement her idea."

The study says that the any that has knowledge about the correct direction designates itself as the leader ant.

This study was published in the journal Nature Communications.