Global Ant Biomass
The total biomass of ants on Earth is estimated at 12 megatons of dry carbon—about 20% of human biomass, but greater than all wild birds and mammals combined.
How much do all the ants on Earth weigh?
The total biomass of ants on Earth is estimated at 12 megatons of dry carbon. This equals about 20% of human biomass and is greater than all wild birds and mammals combined.
Explanation
Biomass refers to the total mass of living biological organisms in a given area or environment, measured here in dry carbon terms. This specific measurement means that if you were to dry out and weigh every single ant on the planet, their collective carbon mass would reach 12 megatons.
It is often surprising to learn that tiny insects can accumulate such a massive global weight, amounting to roughly one-fifth of all human biomass combined. Even more striking is that this ant weight surpasses the combined biomass of all wild birds and mammals currently living on Earth.
For an ordinary reader, this highlights the immense scale and ecological dominance of these small creatures. Despite their individual size, their collective presence shapes ecosystems worldwide in ways that rival much larger and more visible animal groups.
Source and verification
- Source
- Wikipedia: Ant Tier B
- Last verified
- Confidence
- 90 out of 100
- Verified by
- Ali Ahmad Chaudhry