Ants, they are more of a nuisance than a pest. Well, that does depend on which country you live in as some can pack a nasty bite. There are more than 10,000 known ant species found across the globe, and have been the subject of many films and television shows.

 

Ants are truly fascinating creatures. Don’t believe me? Here are 10 facts about ants that will definitely change your mind!

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1. They have superhuman strength!

Yes, you did read that correctly. Ants are ridiculously strong. They have the ability to carry between 10 and 50 times their own body weight!  The amount an ant can carry depends on the species. The Asian weaver ant, for example, can lift 100 times its own mass.

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2. Ants don’t have lungs

Due to their small size, ants don’t have the room to accommodate a complex respiratory system such as ours. Instead, they have their own ways of respiration to help transport oxygen around their bodies.

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3. Ants don’t have ears

Unlike other pests such as rats, ants don’t have ears. But that doesn’t mean they are deaf.

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4.There are a lot of ants in the world

I think the phrase “a lot” is an understatement when describing the amount of ants current in existence. To put things in perspective, it is estimated that there are around 1 million ants for every 1 human in the world!

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5. Some ant species are Asexual

Rather than going down the traditional route of reproduction, some Amazonian ants have taken to reproduce via cloning. It is reported that the queen ants copy themselves to genetically produce daughters, resulting in a colony with no males.