What is a bullet ant?

Paraponera clavata is a species of ant, commonly known as the bullet ant, named for its extremely potent sting. It inhabits humid lowland rainforests from Nicaragua and the extreme east of Honduras and south to Paraguay. read more

The bullet ant and the tarantula hawk wasp [the only other bug to reach a 4 on the pain scale] are like day and night. You can't draw much of a comparison, other than they both really, really hurt. The ant is a social animal that lives in colonies of 1,000 to 3,000 individuals. They have a colony to defend. read more

The bullet ant (Paraponera clavata) gets its name from the shot of intense pain it delivers with its venom-filled sting. The recipient experiences its agonising effects for the next 12 - 24 hours. Living in the South American rainforest and growing to around an inch (2.54cm) long, most of us are capable of keeping out of its way. read more