The estimated number of ants on earth—making them the most numerous insect in the world.
Numbers in the News: Ants
Head outside this summer, and there’s a good chance you’ll encounter ants. Check out some import-ant facts and figures about these tiny insects.
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20 QUADRILLION
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10 TO 50 TIMES ITS BODY WEIGHT
The amount of weight that the average ant can carry.
FROM ANT COLLECTION OF SARAH PFEFFER/PHOTO HARALD WOLF
2.8 FEET PER SECOND
The speed of the fastest ant species, the Saharan silver ant. It can travel a distance equal to 108 times its body length in one second.
3,700 MILES
The length of the largest known ant colony. This massive nest, called a supercolony, stretches from Northern Italy to the Atlantic coast of Spain.
THINK ABOUT IT: Ants are found almost everywhere on Earth. Why do you think these insects can live in so many different environments?
SOURCES: ENCYCLOPEDIA BRITANNICA, GUINNESS WORLD RECORDS, PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL ACADEMY OF SCIENCES (2022), TOXINS (2016)
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