I remember watching a study on Ants on Discovery.
What struck me as amazing was that fact that all of them keep working; they keep building; and they have excellent coordination in between the workers and the defenders. Colonies upon Colonies of ants, all working.

Sheesh, i really think they might be able to overpower us one day.
*trembles*

I don't know about overpowering us so much. I think we will accidentally wipe ourselves out long before any other species has the opportunity to become "top dog." Not something evil like we make our planet uninhabitable through nuclear war or anything, but something stoooopid.
Like collectively forget to wash our hands at the precise moment an otherwise harmless bacterium evolves a lethal mechanism. Then we all catch it within 6 hours of it having done so and end the human race.

Penguins are going to enslave us together with their good friends the mini pigs!

The prophecy has already began to be fulfilled!

What makes you think they have any need to overpower us? What would be the evolutionary advantage for ants in not having humans around? And, as far as I can work out, there is only one organism on earth that actively tries to wipe out its competitors - and that's us. The rest of the animal and plant and bacterial kingdoms seem to do pretty well taking it as it comes.

From a purely biological point-of-view (mainly for the reason above), humans have all the hallmarks of a fairly short-lived species. I'd give us 10 Million years tops (bearing in mind we've used up the first 5 million of those just getting ourselves off the bloody savannah and into some decent clothes and coming up with the ipod.) Bacteria, ferns, crocodiles and turtles have it all over us.

I have always admired ants. I used to observe them for days when I was little. Once we had to move the colony to a few meters distance, away from the road construction. The ants we're real quick in their reconstruction and they started to use the tree next to it to gather resources.

The idea of them taking over the planet is too much though. Although they are quite smart, that is for an insect.

Plus, the colonies don't like each other too much. In the area where I come from there have been colony wars due to deforestation and lack of resources. It caused millions of ants to die, leaving the surviving ones witch just enough materials.

And where I come from, the ant colonies aren't really huge and the ants hibernate during the winter in their colonies.

sounds familliar lol

honey ant

this poor fella will never dominate the world ,they just taste to good
although we dont eat all of it we just suck the honey from its abdomine

squirrels.

You forgot to say that the humans are most probably the only type of species which try to wipe other orgaisms of their same type of species

Extreme Coder

I thought ants were one of the species that didn't fight with its own kind?(plus your saying sounds really familiar, take a guess why )

Extreme Coder

EDIT: Sorry, I double-posted. I was just clicking the quote button on the posts I liked :/

in a cense you are correct a colony of ants will not hurt one of its own,but the same colony of ants have been known to raid a neibours nest and attempt to steal thier eggs,

i think a study in west africa a few decades ago showed one group of chimpanzees killing and wiping out another species or group, so its not just humans.

even within social animals, rival groups mark their territories and will defend it to the death if necessary - predators like lions etc.

I have my Raid handy...I'll be safe

pfft i'm bigger than any ant :P

No Raid is gonna stop them

Extreme Coder

If Raid won't stop them, then a barrier of water will. And the ants aren't in love with chalk either.

And in case you are so worried, you should find out how do the people protect themselves from the army ants.

A nice read to the people who are scared of ants
Ants eat coma patient's eye: World: News: News24

LOL @ the patient! That Kotika hospital sure sucks!

Extreme Coder