Bullet Ants (Paraponera cravata)
Habitat
The bullet ant is active all over the rainforest, from the floor to the treetops. It is usually found on lianas and tree trunks close to the ground. Range This insect lives from Nicaragua down to the Amazon. Physical Description This long, black ant is distinct from other ants in the Amazon because it is enormous, second only to the Greater Giant Hunting Ant (Dinoponera gigantea). The bullet ant is hairier than fellow hunting ants. The bullet ant is important to the ecosystem of the Amazon rainforest because they eat a lot of insects keeping the balance in the food chain. If the bullet ant was removed from the Amzonian ecosystem it would increase the number of insects and some of the local tribes would lose their coming of age rituals.
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Biology and Natural History
The colony burrows a nest with different entrances on the ground between tree buttresses. Some arboreal nests have also been discovered. Workers guard the nest against vertebrates and other insects, including other bullet ants. While these ants do live in colonies, individuals search for food alone. Foraging workers hunt insect prey and look for plant sap between dusk and dawn. They may also look for food among the trees during the day if it is cloudy. The bullet ant has the most painful insect sting/bite that you can encounter in the world. Sometimes they fall from higher tree branches and attack when they encounter a large, frightening creature, such as a human. First the bullet ant bites; once the mandibles are securely squeezing the victim, the ant turns its abdomen to sting at the same time. While this may cause some pain and swelling, the venom does not cause sickness or death, and bullet ants are not encountered in droves and swarms like army ants. Amazingly, there's an indigenous tribe in South America that requires young men to endure these stings for 10 minutes at a time — as many as 20 times consecutively, only when this is finished, will the tribe consider the boy an adult. Diet This hunting ant eats insects, plant exudates, and sap. Height/Weight The bullet ant can reach 2.5 cm long. |