Have you ever wondered exactly how many ants live on Earth? Possibly not, but it's certainly a question we've asked ourselves.

Our research provides an approximate answer. We conservatively estimate our planet harbors about 20 quadrillion ants. That's 20 thousand million millions, or in numerical form, 20,000,000,000,000,000 (20 with 15 zeros).

We further estimate the world's ants collectively constitute about 12 million tons (11 million metric tons) of dry carbon. This exceeds the mass of all the world's wild birds and wild mammals combined. It's also equal to about one-fifth of the total weight of humans.

Eminent biologist Edward O. Wilson once said insects and other invertebrates are "the little things that run the world" — and he was right. Ants, in particular, are a crucial

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