# Ants vs Humans vs vs Rats vs Roaches **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [February 13, 2012, 3:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ants-vs-humans-vs-vs-rats-vs-roaches/612710 "2012-02-13T15:18:35Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 11\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![figure9](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/f0a364/32.png) [@figure9](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/figure9)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2012, 3:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ants-vs-humans-vs-vs-rats-vs-roaches/612710/1 "2012-02-13T15:18:35Z")
In a battle royal between the four dominant weed species of Earth, who would predict to win? Ants, Humans, Rats, or Roaches? ---
**Author:** ![Zeldar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/b77776/32.png) [@Zeldar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zeldar)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2012, 3:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ants-vs-humans-vs-vs-rats-vs-roaches/612710/2 "2012-02-13T15:32:44Z")
In what field of endeavor? Basketball? Crawling into small spaces? ---
**Author:** ![Bozuit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/edb3f5/32.png) [@Bozuit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bozuit)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2012, 3:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ants-vs-humans-vs-vs-rats-vs-roaches/612710/3 "2012-02-13T15:38:19Z")
Is there an actual battle? Are rats, ants and cockroaches aware of this? Do they fight back or just continue as normal? How does one side win? ---
**Author:** ![figure9](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/f0a364/32.png) [@figure9](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/figure9)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2012, 3:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ants-vs-humans-vs-vs-rats-vs-roaches/612710/4 "2012-02-13T15:41:55Z")
Every species is actively trying to destroy the others. After 100 years the total mass of each species is taken. Highest total mass wins. ---
**Author:** ![RealityChuck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/realitychuck/32/195_2.png) [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2012, 3:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ants-vs-humans-vs-vs-rats-vs-roaches/612710/5 "2012-02-13T15:48:28Z")
> [@figure9](#): > > Every species is actively trying to destroy the others. After 100 years the total mass of each species is taken. Highest total mass wins. On that basis, ants. They already outnumber any other species on total mass, and it’s unlikely anything is going to overtake them. ---
**Author:** ![Bozuit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/edb3f5/32.png) [@Bozuit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bozuit)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2012, 5:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ants-vs-humans-vs-vs-rats-vs-roaches/612710/6 "2012-02-13T17:08:08Z")
Wikipedia tells me ants have somewhere between 2 - 20x the biomass of humans on earth. I don’t doubt we could half the ant population if we _really_ wanted to, maybe using some form of disease, but if it’s 20x the biomass of humanity we might struggle. ---
**Author:** ![bouv](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/bc8723/32.png) [@bouv](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bouv)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2012, 6:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ants-vs-humans-vs-vs-rats-vs-roaches/612710/7 "2012-02-13T18:26:02Z")
[Ants have already won.](http://www.cracked.com/article_19651_7-reasons-ants-will-inherit-earth.html) This is their world, now…all we can do is hope we leave enough sugar out on the counter that they don’t decide to eat us in our sleep. ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2012, 6:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ants-vs-humans-vs-vs-rats-vs-roaches/612710/8 "2012-02-13T18:40:49Z")
Yeah, it’s the ants game to lose. ---
**Author:** ![Consensus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/3be4f8/32.png) [@Consensus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Consensus)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2012, 7:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ants-vs-humans-vs-vs-rats-vs-roaches/612710/9 "2012-02-13T19:50:23Z")
> [@figure9](#): > > Every species is actively trying to destroy the others. Well that be us. We are masters at the art of destruction, others not so much. ---
**Author:** ![Peanuthead](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/peanuthead/32/360_2.png) [@Peanuthead](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Peanuthead)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2012, 8:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ants-vs-humans-vs-vs-rats-vs-roaches/612710/10 "2012-02-13T20:57:50Z")
Ants for sure. They work with the highest degree of cooperation and determination. I admire those little bastards. ---
**Author:** ![Ludovic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7ab992/32.png) [@Ludovic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ludovic)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2012, 9:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ants-vs-humans-vs-vs-rats-vs-roaches/612710/11 "2012-02-13T21:00:31Z")
> [@bouv](#): > > [Ants have already won.](http://www.cracked.com/article_19651_7-reasons-ants-will-inherit-earth.html) > > This is their world, now…all we can do is hope we leave enough sugar out on the counter that they don’t decide to eat us in our sleep. I41wonao.