The Earth’s Army

Listen to Today's Edition:

0:00 0:00
100

How many ants live on Earth?

Researcher Mark Wong and his colleagues set out to find out.

They started by thoroughly analyzing almost 500 studies on ants spanning every continent.

Their final conclusion? A whopping 20 quadrillion ants – that’s 16 zeros – roam the planet to help disperse seeds, pollinate plants and annoy homeowners.

That number easily surpasses birds and mammals on Earth in terms of both numbers and biomass, CNET reported.

Meanwhile, the researchers also wanted to measure the volume of the world’s ants. In a new paper, they explained that the total biomass of the ants is about 12 megatons of dry carbon.

“Impressively, this exceeds the biomass of all the world’s wild birds and mammals combined,” Wong said.

More amazing still: This number is likely a conservative estimate. Wong said there is not enough information about ants living in trees and underground.

Meanwhile, these industrious bugs play a vital role in maintaining the planet’s ecosystem. But they are threatened by the changing climate and could become victims of “dark extinction” – or anonymous extinction – where they may disappear under the radar.

“We need people to rigorously and repeatedly survey and describe the ecological communities of different habitats before they are lost,” Wong noted.

Subscribe today and GlobalPost will be in your inbox the next weekday morning


Join us today and pay only $32.95 for an annual subscription, or less than $3 a month for our unique insights into crucial developments on the world stage. It’s by far the best investment you can make to expand your knowledge of the world.

And you get a free two-week trial with no obligation to continue.

Copyright © 2024 GlobalPost Media Corporation. All Rights Reserved.

Copy link