Ants are everywhere! An estimated one quadrillion (that's 17 zeros!) of these amazing insects are on the planet at any one time. Put another way, they make up a large proportion of the animal biomass - up to 25% in tropical environments. There are anestimated 22,500 species globally, but only around 12,500 have been identified. Ants have been able to exploit virtually every environment on the planet (excluding Antarctica, which is ironic given the name)! Their success is attributed to the social organisation of their colonies, which allows them to efficiently exploit changing food resources and colonise new environments. It is this flexibility in diet and adaptability to new environments that have made ants among the worst invasive species, causing environmental headaches around the world.
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