60 Interesting Facts About Ants

There are around 15,000 species of ants. The Australian state of Queensland hosts nearly 1,400 ant species, the highest number of native species. (Source)
A recent study shows that ants' nests can indicate the presence of gold in the soil. Ants bring gold from underground into their mounds, providing a clue of gold underneath the ground. (Source)
Colobopsis explodens (exploding ant) is an ant species in Southeast Asia that explodes itself to protect its nest. In this suicidal procedure, the worker ant explodes and secrets a yellow-colored toxic to kill the invader. (Source)
The fastest ant in the world is the Saharan Silver ant (Cataglyphis bombycina). This ant in Sahara can travel at a speed of 108 times its body length per second. Their long legs assist them in achieving a pace of one meter per second when finding food during the daytime in the desert. (Source)
In the African savanna, ants protect trees from elephants. The largest animal on land is afraid of ants because they can bite inside its trunk. (Source)
More than 200 bird species apply ants, which produce formic acid, on their plumage. The process is known as “anting.” According to estimates, the possible reasons of anting is to get rid of parasites, decrease skin irritation during molting, feather grooming, etc. (Source)
There are around 1 million ants for every human being on earth. The estimated number of ants in the world is one quadrillion (16 zeros after 1).
Ants are short-lived insects. However, some queen ants can live for up to 30 years which is one of the highest lifespans among insects.

Bulldog ants (native to Australia) are known as the most dangerous ants. This fearless and aggressive ant can inject enough venom to kill an adult person in just 15 minutes. Since 1936, these ants have killed at least three human beings. (Source)
The pain of the sting of a bullet ant can remain for 24 hours. Due to this, these South American-based ants are also called 24-hour ants. It is one of the largest ants and causes the most severe pain to humans. (Source)
Harvester ant has the most toxic venom among all the insects in the world. It can kill a 1-pound rat with only three venomous stings. (Source)
The biggest living ant is the driver ant. The queen driver ant can reach a length of 1.96 inches (5 cm). The biggest ant ever was the Titanomyrma, with a length of up to 2.36 inches (15 cm).
Carebara atoma is the smallest ant species. It is present in Australia, Indonesia, and other nearby areas.
Around 240 species of attine ants, including leafcutter ants, have been growing fungus in South American rainforests for 60 million years. They grow these fungi underground in dry places, which makes them separate from wild fungus. (Source)
Leafcutter ants do not eat leaves. These ants use these leaves to grow white fungi, the food for these ants and their young. (Source)
Ants can carry several times their body weight. The leafcutter ant is the most powerful ant that can lift 50 times its body weight.

Leafcutter ant carry 50 times its own body weight
Cutting leaves by leafcutter ants stimulates new plant growth. They also enrich the soil by growing their fungus garden.
Workers of leafcutter ants switch their job when their mandibles become less sharp. They instead let other leafcutter ants with sharp mandibles do leaf cutting. (Source)
Leafcutter ants have to complete a large number of tasks. Therefore, separate duties are assigned to different worker ants in the ant colony. Leafcutter ants work as foragers (finds and collect healthy leaves), guards (protect foragers), gardeners & nurses, excavators, trash handlers, and soldiers. (Source)
The Sahara desert ant is the most heat-tolerant insect in the world. This ant can even survive the surface temperature of 70^o C for a short period. Ants in the Namib and Australian deserts can also tolerate extremely hot temperature. (Source)
A study proves that ants played a significant role in the biodiversity of fynbos, a heathland in South Africa. They did so by dispersing seeds (myrmecochory) of various plants. (Source)
Ants sleep for 8 minutes in any 12 hours. The brain activity of soldier ants remains at a higher level, even during sleep. (Source)
Worker ants and soldier ants (present in a few ant species) are female. Male ants only perform the duty of mating with the queen ant.
Ants have blurrier vision compared to mammals. Smaller ants have fewer ommatidia in their eyes, which makes their vision more blurrier.

An Amazonian ant species reproduce asexually. Mycocepurus Smithii is the first known species of ants that do not require mating with male partners for reproduction. All the members of this species are female. This ant cultivates a garden of fungi which also reproduces without sex. (Source)
In contrast to most ant species, all females (along with the queen) of dinosaur ants are capable of reproduction. However, they can do so only in the absence of a queen ant. If any of these ants try to become rebellious of the queen, the queen transforms it into worker ant after punishment. (Source)
African driver ants can produce 3 to 4 million eggs in less than a month. It is the highest number of eggs produced by any insect. (Source)
The trap-jaw ant, native to Central and South America, closes its jaw at 145 miles per hour. The average duration of its strike is just 0.13 milliseconds. (Source)
The fastest movement of any ant (and animal) is the speed of the jaws of Dracula's ant. This ant closes its jaws at more than 200 miles per hour. This rapid motion is the fastest movement in the animal kingdom. (Source)
The trail of army ants can be 100 m long and 20 m wide. These ants kill and eat everything in their way, including worms, beetles, spiders, and other invertebrates. The estimated number of victims of these ants in a single day is between 30,000 and 100,000.
Army ants and driver ants form temporary nests from their bodies, known as a bivouac. Hundreds of thousands of workers of these ant species build these temporary structures by griping each other legs to protect the queen and larvae. (Source)
Argentine ants, native to South America, have formed a mega colony in various parts of the world. They are now also present in the USA, Japan, and Europe through a global colony. Ants in these different colonies across the globe (that number billions) are sympathetic to each other and poised a danger to local animals and plants. (Source)

Argentine ants have formed a global colony
The only ant that can reduce the population of Argentine ants is the Asian needle ant. But this new ant species is also a threat to the ecosystem in several areas. (Source)
Another ant species forms “supercolonies.” It can become a nuisance if ever established a global colony. These ants, native to Ethiopia, are also found in other parts of Africa and Australia. Out of over 12,000 ant species, only about 20 form supercolonies. (Source)
In January 2014, pavement ants were sent to International Space Station (ISS) to find whether they could search new areas in complicated situations. The experiment proved quite successful. (Source)
Few plants contain unique substances in their leaves and seeds that provide defense against leafcutter ants. These compounds are also lethal to a fungus grown by these ants.
Leafcutter ants sometimes face parasitic fungus that destroys their fungus garden. These insects combat their enemy by weeding out infected fungi and spreading self-produced antimicrobial chemicals. (Source)
Out of a total of 15,000 species, around 50 ant species are slave-makers. These ants enslave other ant species that later work for them. After some time, these slave ants may start a mutiny against their masters.
Few ants use aphids as livestock. These ants protect them against predators and in return take honeydew that aphids excrete after eating leaves. (Source)
Some ant species use aphids as livestock
Scientists in the USA are using small flies to control invasive fire ants. This fly hatch egg inside ants. The newborn fly decapitate the host ant after eating it from inside.
In the southeastern USA, crazy ants are successfully displacing fire ants by neutralizing their venom (which is two to three times stronger than DDT). However, these crazy ants are also harmful to other insects and spiders, which changes the ecosystem of this area. (Source)
The fight between fire ants and crazy ants results in the formation of ionic liquid, which is not available anywhere else in nature.
Crazy ants can kill a crab in two hours using their lethal formic acid. In just 15 years, these ants have reduced the population of Christmas Island crabs from 120 million to 60 million. (Source)
Unlike most other ants, bull ants have trichromatic color vision. They can see different colors clearly, like old-world primates. (Source)
Ants are among the smartest insects in the world, along with bees, termites, and cockroaches. They are particularly known for their social intelligence. (Source)
Weaver (or green) ants provide benefits to plants by consuming harmful insects. Humans also eat these insects in a few parts of the world as they provide protein and fatty acids.

Ants (and other insects) always keep themselves clean. It is a necessity for their antennas that provide scents to them. They achieve this process so efficiently that it properly cleans them without damaging their delicate antennas. (Source)
A species of the carpenter ant (camponotus schmitzi) is helpful for the fanged pitcher plant in its digestion of other insects. Compared to other pitcher plants, the inner surface of a fanged pitcher is less slippery, which allows this ant to reside permanently. These ants eat the trapped insects inside the plant. In return, the pitcher uses the feces of ants as a nitrogen source. (Source)
The adult Dracula ants, endemic to Madagascar, cannot digest solid food. Therefore, these insects give solid food to their larvae and drink the blood of these larvae to get nutrition. However, the larva remains alive after this “cannibalism” by adults. (Source)
Carpenter ants chew wood with their powerful jaws, but it does not provide food to them. These ants eat (living and dead) insects and sugars.
When a species of ants fight against termites, they carry their wounded from the “battlefield.” It helps in the early recovery of these injured soldiers.
Ants infected with parasites know they can spread disease to other ants. Therefore, these sick ants remain away from healthy ants to protect their comrades from infection. (Source)
According to studies, around 60% of ant species can produce antibiotics to fight off various pathogens that cause disease. The thief ant contains the most powerful antimicrobial among the ants in this research. (Source)

60% of ants produce antibiotics
Fire ants can survive floods for several weeks by forming giant rafts. Worker ants can build these rafts in less than 2 minutes by joining their mouth and legs. (Source)
Experts warn that invasive fire ants can become the worst pests in Australia if not controlled. They can cause more damage than feral rabbits, foxes, and cane toads. (Source)
Wood ants use resin to disinfect their nests. The antimicrobial and anti-fungus features of resin protect these ants and their larvae from micro-organisms. (Source)
In the Amazon, there is a ritual for boys of a tribe to wear gloves full of bullet ants. These 12-year-old boys must prove their adulthood by wearing these gloves 20 times for 10 minutes. (Source)
Ants are vital for an ecosystem in several ways. They take part in the decomposition process by eating organic waste and dead animals. The ants are a good food source for several vertebrate and invertebrate animals. Ants also fertile the ground by bringing pebbles to the top of the soil. (Source)
Few workers of honeypot ants stuff food in their back sections when food is plentiful. Other workers consume this storage of food when the food becomes short. These ants are eaten as a delicacy by several tribes in Australia. (Source)
Weaver ants build nests with leaves stitched together, using silk from their larvae. These ants are edible and nutritious for humans. (Source)