this post was submitted on 18 Jul 2025
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Science Memes

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[–] Bishma@discuss.tchncs.de 59 points 1 week ago* (last edited 1 week ago) (2 children)

we conservatively estimate 20 × 10^15 (20 quadrillion) ants on Earth, with a total biomass of 12 megatons of dry carbon. This exceeds the combined biomass of wild birds and mammals and equals 20% of human biomass. -- source

If there's a lot of something, we mammals are going to learn how to eat it.

Exactly. The ants were doing a lot more than existing

[–] JoMiran@lemmy.ml 31 points 1 week ago (3 children)
[–] SpaceNoodle@lemmy.world 11 points 1 week ago

Whoa. That's a big fuckin' ant.

[–] shadowedcross@sh.itjust.works 8 points 1 week ago (2 children)

Humans are cheating since we'll eat anything that's edible, and a lot of things that aren't supposed to be.

[–] JoMiran@lemmy.ml 10 points 1 week ago (2 children)

I just ate a burrito drowned in apricot-habanero hot sauce which I further modified by adding extra habaneros and red thai chilis. I'm pretty sure capsaicin was meant to deter mammals from eating hot peppers.

[–] Smoogs@lemmy.world 5 points 1 week ago* (last edited 1 week ago)

Brace yourselves... farts are comin

[–] TheKingBee@lemmy.world 2 points 1 week ago

It deters me lol

Like petroleum. Well, stuff made from it anyway.

[–] TheTurner@lemmy.zip 6 points 1 week ago (1 children)

Roasted queen leaf cutter ants?

[–] JoMiran@lemmy.ml 16 points 1 week ago* (last edited 1 week ago) (1 children)
[–] TheTurner@lemmy.zip 3 points 1 week ago

Ah! I have seen these guys on videos before. Neat large species of flying leaf cutters!

[–] NorthWestWind@lemmy.world 8 points 1 week ago (2 children)
[–] damnedfurry@lemmy.world 11 points 1 week ago (1 children)

Kind of the opposite, looks like evolution is trying desperately to get rid of ants, lol. Possibly replacing them with crabs.

Turn the ants into crabs.

Crab ants crab ants crab ants crab ants crab ants... And now it reads like a slur

[–] pruwybn@discuss.tchncs.de 4 points 1 week ago (1 children)

Ant-eating crabs will be the ultimate result of evolution.

[–] Sphks@jlai.lu 2 points 1 week ago (1 children)

With ants looking like tiny crabs

[–] pruwybn@discuss.tchncs.de 1 points 1 week ago

... eating even tinier ants

[–] Cube6392@beehaw.org 4 points 1 week ago

anteaters are a step on the path to crab, confirmed

[–] webp@mander.xyz 1 points 1 week ago* (last edited 1 week ago)