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.
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Sting
The bullet ant's sting currently ranks the highest of all insect stings on Justin O. Schmidt's informal sting pain index, at 4.0+.
According to Schmidt, the pain is like "walking over flaming charcoal with a three-inch nail embedded in your heel". Some victims compared the pain to that of being shot, hence the name of the insect. It is described as causing "waves of burning, throbbing, all-consuming pain that continues unabated for up to 24 hours". Lymphadenopathy, edema, tachycardia, and fresh blood appearing in human victim feces are common symptoms from even a single sting. Poneratoxin, a paralyzing neurotoxic peptide isolated from the venom, affects voltage-dependent sodium ion channels and blocks the synaptic transmission in the central nervous system. It is being investigated for possible medical applications.
Initiation rites
The Sateré-Mawé people of Brazil use intentional bullet ant stings as part of their initiation rites to become warriors or leaders. The ants are first rendered unconscious by submersion in a natural sedative, and then 80 of them are woven into gloves (which resemble large oven mitts) made of vines or leaves, stingers facing inward. When the ants regain consciousness, an initiator repeatedly blows smoke at the ants, with the objective of making them agitated and aggressive. Once this is done, the initiate has the gloves put on his hands and keeps them on for 5 to 10 minutes or longer. Afterward, the boy's hand and part of his arm are temporarily paralyzed because of the ant venom, and he may shake uncontrollably for days. The only "protection" provided is a coating of charcoal on the hands, supposedly to confuse the ants and inhibit their stinging. To fully complete the initiation, a boy or man must go through the ordeal 20 times over the course of several months or even years.
The bullet ant's sting currently ranks the highest of all insect stings on Justin O. Schmidt's informal sting pain index, at 4.0+.
According to Schmidt, the pain is like "walking over flaming charcoal with a three-inch nail embedded in your heel". Some victims compared the pain to that of being shot, hence the name of the insect. It is described as causing "waves of burning, throbbing, all-consuming pain that continues unabated for up to 24 hours". Lymphadenopathy, edema, tachycardia, and fresh blood appearing in human victim feces are common symptoms from even a single sting. Poneratoxin, a paralyzing neurotoxic peptide isolated from the venom, affects voltage-dependent sodium ion channels and blocks the synaptic transmission in the central nervous system. It is being investigated for possible medical applications.
Initiation rites
The Sateré-Mawé people of Brazil use intentional bullet ant stings as part of their initiation rites to become warriors or leaders. The ants are first rendered unconscious by submersion in a natural sedative, and then 80 of them are woven into gloves (which resemble large oven mitts) made of vines or leaves, stingers facing inward. When the ants regain consciousness, an initiator repeatedly blows smoke at the ants, with the objective of making them agitated and aggressive. Once this is done, the initiate has the gloves put on his hands and keeps them on for 5 to 10 minutes or longer. Afterward, the boy's hand and part of his arm are temporarily paralyzed because of the ant venom, and he may shake uncontrollably for days. The only "protection" provided is a coating of charcoal on the hands, supposedly to confuse the ants and inhibit their stinging. To fully complete the initiation, a boy or man must go through the ordeal 20 times over the course of several months or even years.
