The world of insects is fascinating. Just a couple of examples of incredible insects are a plastic-eating insect that could help combat world waste and the world's most expensive bug, which costs more than a luxury car.
But some of the smallest creatures on our planet can also be the most dangerous. For example, the animal that kills more humans than any other and is smaller than your fingernail is an insect.
Ants are another small insect of which many species can be dangerous. The panda ant is the world's cutest insect that looks like a panda but is dangerously deceptive and has parasitic babies. Red imported fire ants and cow killer ants are both on the list of insects in America that are dangerous to humans.
But one ant in particular is said to have the most painful sting ever: the bullet ant. Where are bullet ants found and exactly how painful is their sting? Let's find out so you can avoid them at all costs!
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Bullet Ants Are Found In Central And South America
They primarily live in humid rainforests
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The bullet ant (Paraponera clavata), also known as the giant hunting ant or conga ant, is found throughout the humid rainforests in Central and South America. Bullet ants can be found in the following countries:
Central America
Costa Rica El Salvador Honduras Nicaragua
South America
Bolivia Brazil Colombia Ecuador Peru Venezuela
Bullet ants are typically found at lower elevations in the rainforest, but they can be found from the forest floor to the treetops in the canopy. They are most often seen around tree trunks and vines on the forest floor.
Closeup of a bullet ant in Peru
Bullet ants are one of the largest ant species in the world. They can be up to one inch long, but they only have a lifespan of about 90 days. They play a crucial role in the rainforest ecosystem, helping to control insect populations by using other insects as food, but they are also a food source for birds and some mammals.
The bullet ant's nest construction also helps to aerate and mix the soil, which helps promote continued plant growth on the rainforest floor. It just goes to show that every organism, no matter how small, has a purpose.
There is another species of bullet ant, the Texas bullet ant (Neoponera villosa) that is found in Texas and Mexico. But the majority of bullet ants are found in Central and South America.
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Bullet Ants Have The Most Painful Sting In The World
The pain is up to 30 times worse than a bee sting
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Imagine the most painful bee or wasp sting you've ever gotten. Now imagine that pain times 30, and that's how painful some people describe a sting from a bullet ant.
To put that into a scientific perspective and to rate the pain of insect stings, an entomologist (bug scientist) named Justin O. Schmidt developed the Schmidt Pain Index. The Schmidt Pain Index is a scale that rates the pain of insects in the order Hymenoptera, which includes bees, wasps, and ants.
The Schmidt Pain Index rates insect stings on a scale of 1-4, with 4 being the most painful. A bee sting is level 2, but the bullet ant is level 4+.
According to Schmidt, the sting from a bullet ant is:
"Pure, intense, brilliant pain. Like walking over flaming charcoal with a three-inch nail embedded in your heel." - Justin Schmidt, as reported on the Natural History Museum website.
Here's how other insects compare to the bullet ant:
Level 1
Paper wasp Red imported fire ant Southern fire ant Tropical fire ant
Level 2
Glorious velvet ant Tropical black ant Western honeybee Western yellow jacket
Level 3
Klug's velvet ant Neotropical red paper wasp Red-headed paper wasp
Level 4
Tarantula hawk wasp Warrior wasp
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A Bullet Ant Sting Can Cause Temporary Paralysis
The pain and paralysis can last for up to 24 hours
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Bullet ants have a powerful venom that acts as a neurotoxin. The venom is strong enough to paralyze and kill small insects that the ant can then use for food.
No human has ever been confirmed to have died from a bullet ant sting. However, a sting from a bullet ant can cause temporary paralysis at the site of the sting. It can also cause other symptoms, including pain that throbs or feels like scalding, uncontrollable shaking, nausea, vomiting, and fever.
Extreme cases can lead to heart arrhythmia. These symptoms can last for up to 24 hours and may be much worse if you are stung by multiple bullet ants. Bullet ants are known to sting in groups to defend their colony.
In the Satere-Mawe Tribe in the Amazon Rainforest, bullet ants are actually part of a coming-of-age ritual for boys transitioning into men. For 10 minutes, the boys must stick their hands into gloves filled with bullet ants.
The boy must endure the pain and paralysis for the whole 10 minutes without shedding a tear. The attempt will sometimes be repeated as many as 20 times until the boy is successful. You can see this ritual in the video below, but watch at your own risk!
If the sting from one bullet ant is painful, can you imagine how painful hundreds of them must be?
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Bullet ants are something you definitely don't want to mess with if you ever see one on your travels. While no one has ever died from a bullet ant sting, the pain is something you probably don't want to experience. No matter how small something is, it can still cause some serious hurt!