Social insects living in colonies of a queen, workers and males, with more than 13,800 species described of an estimated 22,000. They live on almost every landmass on Earth.
Quick answers
What is it?Insect
Carnivore?Omnivore
Dangerous?No
Domesticated?No
Awake when?Day & night
Hibernates?No
Kept as a pet?Sometimes
Mostly as ant farms, which were popular educational toys from the late 1950s to the late 1970s.
Do people eat it?In places
Many human cultures use ants in food, medicine and rituals.
At a glance
Found inWorldwide
HabitatForest, Rainforest, Grassland, Towns
ColoursBlack, Red
SizeTiny
Legs6
Covered inExoskeleton
Lives incolonies
Lives for1–15 years
Can flyOnly some
Lays eggs
In the wild
- Where it lives
- Almost every landmass except Antarctica and a few remote islands; most abundant in moist tropical ecosystems.
- What it eats
- Most species are omnivorous generalists, acting as herbivores, predators and scavengers; a few are specialists.
Did you know
There may be one to ten quadrillion ants alive at any one time.
Ant queens can live up to 30 years, while workers live one to three.
Only queens and males have wings, and queens shed theirs after the mating flight.
Often confused with
- Termite
Termites live in colonies too, but they’re related to cockroaches, not ants.
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