How Heavy is 1 Million Ants?
WouterCounting how many ants in the world is a tricky business, but there are a few studies that estimate how many ants are on Earth. One estimate comes from the Natural History Museum, which suggests that the number of ants on the planet is around 7.9 billion.
Another estimate comes from Bristol University’s Ant Lab. It claims that the number of ants on the planet exceeds the number of humans. This isn’t a surprise, as ants are everywhere on the planet. They are capable of incredible feats, including the ability to lift heavier objects than humans.
Another claim is made by German biologist Bert Hoelldobler. He estimates that the weight of a single ant is a mere milligram, but that the weight of an entire colony of ants is more than three milligrams.
The smallest ants can weigh only a few milligrams, but some species weigh as much as 400 milligrams. Some species of ants are able to lift up to 50 times their own weight.
A recent study published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences found that ants weigh more than all the human species on Earth. This is a conservative estimate. But the true number of ants on earth is probably higher than that.
A more recent study, by the University of Hong Kong, has slapped together a more accurate count of how many ants are on the planet. It’s a complex mathematical formula that has been derived from over four hundred and eighty studies on ants.
