Ants’ (Formicida) may not appear to be the most interesting of animals (they are animals by the way). However, these common insects are both fascinating and essential to ecosystems around the world. There are more than ten thousand known species of ant and in some parts of the world, such as tropical forests, up to 50 per cent of insect life can be ant species. These omnivorous invertebrates are instantly recognisable with their narrow waists, oversized heads and the way they walk in soldier-like lines weaving across the ground one behind the other. Ants are incredible creatures with near superhero strength and the ability to communicate so effectively that colonies of thousands of individuals can act as one mind.
• Ants have infiltrated every continent, save Antarctica, and together, all of the ants in the world would weigh as much as all of the people in the world. It is estimated that there could be as many as ten quadrillion ants in the world. Ten quadrillion looks like this: 10,000,000,000,000,000.