Ant or termite?
How to tell them apart
Termites live in colonies too, but they’re related to cockroaches, not ants.
Quick answers
They differ on 2 of the 8 quick answers: carnivore, kept as a pet.
| Question | Ant | Termite |
|---|---|---|
| What is it? | Insect | Insect |
| Carnivore? differs | Omnivore | No, herbivore |
| Dangerous? | No | No |
| Domesticated? | No | No |
| Awake when? | Day & night | Day & night |
| Hibernates? | No | No |
| Kept as a pet? differs | Sometimes | No |
| Do people eat it? | In places | In places |
At a glance
| Question | Ant | Termite |
|---|---|---|
| Found in | Worldwide | Worldwide |
| Habitat differs | Forest, Rainforest, Grassland, Towns | – |
| Size | Tiny | Tiny |
| Length differs | – | Mostly 4–15 mm; Macrotermes queens up to 15 cm |
| Legs | 6 | 6 |
| Covered in | Exoskeleton | Exoskeleton |
| Lives | In colonies | In colonies |
| Lives for differs | 1–15 years | 1–2 years |
| Can fly | Only some | Only some |
| Swims | No | No |
| Lays eggs | Yes | Yes |
About each
Ant
Social insects living in colonies of a queen, workers and males, with more than 13,800 species described of an estimated 22,000. They live on almost every landmass on Earth.
Termite
About 3,000 species of social insects that eat decaying plant matter, mostly wood, leaf litter and humus. Though called “white ants”, they are highly specialised cockroaches. A colony is founded by a king and queen that mate for life.
Everything on the termite page
Sources
Last reviewed . The answers and notes come from each animal's own page, where every source is listed.
How each answer is decided: How we answer. More look-alikes: Side by side.