20 Things You Didn't Know About ... Ants

Some are slaveholders, others sip blood and a few jump backward like nobody’s business.

By Ashley Braun
Jul 23, 2018 12:00 AMNov 14, 2019 8:43 PM
big ant
Daceton armigerum, the arboreal trap-jaw ant, could probably make short work of a hot dog. Alex Wild

Newsletter

Sign up for our email newsletter for the latest science news
 

1. At home on every continent but Antarctica, the ant family, Formicidae, has more than 15,000 species.

2. Their habitats range from rainforest canopies to the Sahara Desert, with most ants living in hierarchical colonies with a single egg-laying queen. Males’ sole job is mating, and female workers do everything else.

3. Ants may be stereotyped as picnic pests, but they’re an important cleanup crew: A 2014 study of New York City streets estimated that every year, arthropods pick up the equivalent of 60,000 hot dogs in dropped food waste just along the road medians of 150 city blocks.

0 free articles left
Want More? Get unlimited access for as low as $1.99/month

Already a subscriber?

Register or Log In

0 free articlesSubscribe
Discover Magazine Logo
Want more?

Keep reading for as low as $1.99!

Subscribe

Already a subscriber?

Register or Log In

Stay Curious

Sign up for our weekly newsletter and unlock one more article for free.

 

View our Privacy Policy


Want more?
Keep reading for as low as $1.99!


Log In or Register

Already a subscriber?
Find my Subscription

More From Discover
Recommendations From Our Store
Shop Now
Stay Curious
Join
Our List

Sign up for our weekly science updates.

 
Subscribe
To The Magazine

Save up to 40% off the cover price when you subscribe to Discover magazine.

Copyright © 2023 Kalmbach Media Co.