September 21, 2022 – Ants

A new study was recently published that found there are WAY more ants on earth than scientists originally thought. After analyzing close to 500 studies, myrmecologists (people who study ants) estimate that there are around 20 quadrillion ants on the earth at any given time. To give you some perspective on what a massive number that is, that means there are 2.5 million ants for every human on earth. Gross! This estimate is 2 to 20 times higher than previous studies have shown.
There are 15,700 known species and subspecies of ants across the globe. They can be found on every continent except Antarctica. Ants live in colonies that can range from a few dozen individuals to super colonies containing millions. Larger colonies are made up of different castes of workers, soldiers, and other specialized groups. Ant queens can live for up to 30 years, and workers can live from 1 to 3 years.
Ants are one of the world’s strongest creatures for their size. One ant can carry 50 times its own body weight, and groups of ants have been known to work together to move larger objects. Ants also have the fastest movement of any other creature in the animal kingdom. Trap Jaw Ants, which can be found in Central and South America, Asia, Australia, and Africa, can snap its jaws closed at speeds of 140 mph!
A lot of animals can learn behaviors by imitation, but ants have actually been shown to learn my interactive teaching. In one 2006 study, researchers found that some species of ants in Europe lead each other to food, teaching other ants the path along the way. The leader assesses the progress of the follower, slowing down when the follower lags and speeding up when it gets too close.  Ants may be the only other group besides mammals where this behavior has been observed.
Ants have even been to space! In 2014, a group traveled to the Internation Space Station in a study to see how they did in microgravity. Despite the environment, they were able to work together to explore their territory. Learn more here.