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Jul 5, 2019 · Learn about the bullet ant, known for possessing the world's most painful insect sting. Discover its habitat, predators, and common behaviors.
- Anne Marie Helmenstine, Ph.D.
Paraponera clavata, commonly known as the bullet ant, is a species of ant named for its extremely painful sting. It inhabits humid lowland rainforests in Central and South America.
- Bullet Ants Have The Most Painful Sting In The World. The Bullet Ant sting is said to be the most painful of any insect. This was discovered by a man called Justin O. Schmidt, who claims to have been stung by almost every stinging member of the Hymenoptera order.
- They Are One Of The Largest Ant Species. Bullet ants can grow up to an incredible 1.2 inches long, which makes them one of the largest true ant species in the world.
- Bullet Ants Have A Powerful Venom. The toxin in their venom is called poneratoxin. It works by altering the normal function of synapses (communication points in the nervous system) in both vertebrates and invertebrates.
- They Have Their Very Own Parasite. The jungle is full of parasites, most of which have evolved highly specific relationships with their hosts. The Phorid Fly (Apocephalus paraponerae) is one such parasite.
bullet ant, (Paraponera clavata), large predatory neotropical ant known for its extremely painful sting. The bullet ant is found in the humid lowland rainforests of Central and South America, ranging from El Salvador and Honduras to Peru, Bolivia, and Brazil.
Bullet ants are the largest of the ant family and among them, the queen ant is the largest followed by the worker ants. The ants can measure anywhere between 18 to 30 cm in length. Bullet ants have a distinguishable reddish-black colored body with large mandibles and a visible stinger.
The Bullet Ant (Paraponera Clavata) is an elongated, black insect native to rainforests. Known for its potent sting, it is one of the largest ants, measuring up to an inch. This species is predominantly solitary, and its diet primarily consists of small arthropods.
Mar 31, 2022 · Although the painful sting of a bullet ant is scalding, throbbing and unabating for up to 24 hours after contact, they're not particularly dangerous. "One of the advantages of social insects is that they can attack en masse to defend their colony," says Schmidt.
