Found in the lowland rainforests of Central and South America, including the Amazon, bullet ants are one of the largest ant species in the world, and has one of the longest foraging ranges, and is fiercely territorial.
But its sting is what you need to look out for. The bullet ant is said to deliver the most painful sting in the world, leaving victims in agony for 24 hours or more. It tops the Schmidt sting pain index, along with the tarantula hawk wasp . The bullet ant, says Justin O. Schmidt, "stings induced immediate, excruciating pain and numbness to pencil-point pressure, as well as trembling in the form of a totally uncontrollable urge to shake the affected part."
The bullet ant’s venom, delivered through a wasp-like stinger rather than through a bite, like most of the common ants in Europe and North America, can cause muscle paralysis and hallucinations along with that terrible pain, with symptoms lasting for up to 24 hours.
It is definitely an ant to avoid at all costs. But in the Brazilian Amazon, the Sateré-Mawé people suffer the stings intentionally - or rather boys do as they get up close and personal with these ants, in a surprising initiation ritual...
What role does the bullet ant play in the Indigenous culture of the Amazon rainforest?
The Satere-Mawé people of the Brazilian Amazon use bullet ants in initiation ceremonies for boys making the transition to adulthood. The ants are collected, before being anaesthetised with a mixture of chopped cashew leaves so they can be safely handled.
Many ants are then woven inside a pair of gloves made from natural fibres, stingers pointing inwards, which Sateré-Mawé boys as young as 12 take turns putting on as a part of a ritual. The ceremony will be repeated many times over the course of each young man’s life. Acknowledging the terrible pain inflicted by the bullet ant stings is frowned upon if you want to be considered worthy of leadership.
Here, Steve Backshall visits the Satere-Mawé people to experience the initiation ritual himsefl: