A research published in the scientific journal Proceedings of the Royal Society B has unveiled that the most common species of ant, the pavement ants or Tetramorium species E, has been found to be having a taste for human food.

They have the taste for this type of food more than other ant species found in parks and green spaces. Study's lead researcher Clint Penick, a post-doctoral fellow at North Carolina State University, said, "The ants that live alongside us in our cities also seem to be those same species that can eat the same food that we do, and do so the most".

For the research, scientists collected more than 20 species of ants from different places like the sidewalks, medians and parks of Manhattan. The researchers checked them for the presence of carbon isotope 13 in their bodies.

The isotope is linked with corn and sugar cane and much of the food items that people eat like meat and even junk food. The researchers came to know that the ants eating more human food were having higher isotope levels.

Amongst all, the pavement ants were the ones having the highest level. Also, the lowest level was found in the ants that were taken from park areas. Penick said that eating human food could act as an advantage for the pavement ants. It would allow them to survive in those areas where their natural food like dead insects might not be so prevalent.

In the next stage, the researchers will look into whether ants would like to have human food even if their natural food sources are available. The researchers affirmed that humans have a lot of general resources and the species that can take advantage of the resources to its best, wins.