How Many Ants to Carry a Human?

July 16, 2023
David Sunnyside

Ants are some of the most resilient creatures on earth, and they’re also one of the strongest. Their ability to carry objects several times their own weight makes them a formidable force when it comes to lifting power. In fact, scientists believe that ants outweigh all wild birds and mammals combined. But can these tiny insects lift a human?

How Many Ants to Carry a Human?

The answer is, of course, “it depends”. Ants can lift objects that are up to 50 times their own weight, so it would take a lot of them working together to lift a human. However, the exact number varies depending on the height and weight of the human being lifted.

For example, a 150-pound human would require around 3 to 5 million ants working together to lift them off the ground. This figure is far higher than the average number of ants in the world, which is roughly 10 billion.

But it’s important to note that ants are not built for lifting humans. Even though they have the strength to do it, they’re not designed for such tasks. The ants’ small, weak legs aren’t strong enough to support the human’s weight. And their neck joints can only withstand so much pressure, according to research published in the journal Biology Letters. As a result, the ants would have to work very hard and fast to lift a person. And in the end, they would probably lose control and crush the human’s body.

David Sunnyside
Co-founder of Urban Splatter • Digital Marketer • Engineer • Meditator
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