How Tall Are We to Ants?
WouterProbably one of the most famous questions asked by people is, “How tall are we to ants?” While ants are among the smallest creatures on earth, they are also among the most successful. They are known for their amazing strength and ability to lift many times their body weight. They are also remarkably resilient. If we had to fight them in a tug of war, we would have no chance.
In fact, scientists have calculated that there are as many ants on the planet as there are humans. They estimate that there are about twenty quadrillion ants worldwide.
The average size of an ant is about 3.7 millimeters long. This is about one-thousandth the size of a human. They have six legs and a jointed exoskeleton. The exoskeleton is very dense and strong.
Scientists have estimated that an average ant can lift 10-50 times its body weight. In order to lift one pound of weight, several hundred ants are required. For example, if you want to pick up a 2 gram paper clip, you would need several hundred ants.
If we were ants, we would be quite strong. The muscles in ants are much thicker than those of larger animals. They also have a much larger cross-sectional area. If we were ants, we would be able to take in an enormous amount of oxygen. This would increase our metabolism and burn more calories than we would need. This would also make us more susceptible to heat and would slow us down.
