Interesting Facts

• Many locals within the Neotropical regions where P. clavata are located, refer to the ant as the "24 (hour) ant". The ants have received this name because once a person is stung, they will be in excruciating pain with a strong burning sensation and intense uncontrollable muscle throbbing for up to twenty-four hours (Sumitra, 2013).

 

• The Bullet Ant is part of a ritual among the Satere-Mawe, a native tribe of the rainforests in Brazil, as an initiation rite in order for boys to become men. First, special gloves are woven from leaves. Elders from the tribe then go out into the rainforest and collect the Bullet Ants, drug them, and place them in the gloves stinger first. Once the drugs start to ware off, the ants become extremely agitated and become ready to sting. At this point, the boy then places both of his hands into the gloves for ten minutes, while experiencing countless amounts of stings from the angry ants. The pain that the boys endure is excruciating and his hands become temporarily paralyzed and look like large stumps. One time, however, is not enough for the boys in the tribe to become men. They must endure this ritual as many times as it takes until they no longer scream nor cry during the stinging process (Sumitra, 2013).

 

• I chose to create a website about the Bullet Ant, because they truly are a fascinating organism to study. It is not everyday that you come across an animal that has a sting so excruciating that you feel as if you have been shot by a gun. The fact that an animal so small has evolved such an intense defense mechanism is incredible to me.

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