You’ll know it if you get stung by a bullet ant (Paraponera clavate), a species named for the fact that the pain from its venom feels like it’s been inflicted by a gun shot. Some insect bites are unpleasant but short-lived experiences – not this one.
What are bullet ants?
Bullet ants are one of the largest ant species in the world, it’s also got one of the longest foraging ranges, and is fiercely territorial.
What do bullet ants look like?
Aside from its extraordinary size (see below), the bullet ant’s most striking features are its large mandibles, hairy thorax and long stinger. While it has a classic ant silhouette – six legs and a segmented body – its stinger gives it the look of a wingless wasp. Its scientific name, clavata, means ‘club-shaped’ and refers to the shape of the insect’s head.
How big are bullet ants?
The bullet ant is one of the largest ant species in the world, growing to around 2.5cm long and weigh 80-120 mg. Its stinger is long compared to its body, measuring up to 3.5mm. Unusually, the queen is not much larger than her worker ants.
Are bullet ants dangerous?
Bullet ants are not aggressive, aside from when defending their nest, but are reputed to have the most painful sting of any insect.
How painful is a sting from a bullet ant?
The species has received the dubious honour of 4+, the top score on entomologist Justin Schmidt’s renowned Schmidt Pain Index. Rather than a gun shot, however, Schmidt likened the pain the bullet ant inflicts to “walking over flaming charcoal with a three-inch nail embedded in your heel”.
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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.
Where do bullet ants live?
Bullet ants are primarily found in the lowland rainforests of Central and South America, including the Amazon, but have been spotted at elevations of up to 1,500 metres. They tend to nest at the base of large trees such as the African oil bean tree, in colonies composed of 700-1000 individuals. Bullet ants are extremely territorial, deterring intruders with their stings, and attacking other colonies.
What role to bullet ants play in their ecosystems?
When bullet ants build nests at the base of trees, they aerate the soil, which helps the natural process of decomposition.
What do they eat?
Bullet ants feed mainly on nectar and fruit juice but prey on small invertebrates like insects and spiders where possible as they are a more energy-rich food source. They have also been known to scavenge on mouse carcasses, so scientists assume that carrion makes up their diet too. Their mandibles are a very effective tool for hunting, as well as being used for carrying droplets of liquid food.
How do bullet ants forage?
The species forages primarily in the forest canopy, and individuals will travel 125m on average per foraging trip, longer than many other ant species. Bullet ants mainly forage at night, sometimes leaving pheromone trails to lead other ants in their colony to sources of food.
Rain showers disrupt these trials, requiring the search for food to begin anew. Bullet ants will sometimes use a strategy known as ‘bucket brigade’ to conserve energy, with ants passing nectar to the nest via other ants rather than returning to the nest with each load.
Workers are often differentiated into hunters and helpers, with little switching between roles. When disturbed during foraging, bullet ants have been observed to make squeaking sounds, though scientists are yet to figure out why – it could be a warning or as an alarm call to summon help from the colony.
What preys on bullet ants?
Many birds and mammals prey on bullet ants, their large size making them a vital part of the food chain. Their stings are off-putting for some predators, however – a toad was observed dying as a result of a bullet ant sting.
How do bullet ants reproduce?
Winged males and females mate, after which the male dies and the female sheds her wings and becomes founding queen of a new colony.
She will lay a brood of eggs, initially raising them to adulthood by herself, including leaving the nest to forage alone. The queen will also lay so-called ‘trophic eggs’, usually unfertilised, to serve as a food source by her offspring. Once the colony is established she will leave the rearing of subsequent broods to sterile worker ants, all of whom are female.
How long do bullet ants live for?
The average lifespan for a worker bullet ant is 1-2 years, while a queen can potentially live for 5+ years
