Bullet Ant - side view, Uraba, Colombia
Proudly presenting an ant with an attitude. This ant has no intention to flee, it is you that will be fleeing. Even our fearless guide Manuel had no intention to come close to this giant ant. It is known as the bullet ant for a good reason, getting stung feels like being shot, and it is listed as one of the most painful stings in the entire insect world, even though it does not do permanent damage.
The Schmidt sting pain index describes it as: "Walking on hot charcoals with a 3 inch rusty nail in your heel". If you're unfortunate enough to be born a male in some Brazilian tribes, you're invited into a ritual where you put your hands in gloves with dozens of these bullet ants. For 20 times.
This photo shows two tiny horns on the thorax, which is an easy way to identify it as indeed a Bullet Ant. I took much of this information from this very cool page:
https://imgur.com/gallery/wqPQE
"Paraponera" is a genus of ant consisting of a single species, commonly known as the lesser giant hunting ant, conga ant, or bullet ant, named on account of its powerful and potent sting, which is said to be as painful as being shot with a bullet. It inhabits humid lowland rainforests from Nicaragua south to Paraguay.
