Bullet Ant

One of the largest ants in the Americas, with workers 2 to 3 centimetres long, found in lowland rainforest from Central America south to Paraguay. Its sting delivers poneratoxin, a small peptide that disrupts the signalling of nerve cells.

• Among the Sateré-Mawé people of Brazil, boys undergoing initiation wear gloves woven with live bullet ants.
• An extinct species of the same genus is known from Dominican amber.
• It is the only living species in its genus and has a subfamily, Paraponerinae, to itself.
• Colonies can be common, with several nests per hectare reported from lowland forest in Costa Rica.

Foragers can be found at any hour, with activity often heaviest around dusk and at night. Workers climb from the nest at the base of a tree into the canopy and return to its underground chambers between trips.

Habitat: rainforest floor, tree base, and humid woodland

Native range: Central and South America

They feed on nectar, small arthropods, and foraged animal matter.

Foragers can be found at any hour, with activity often heaviest around dusk and at night. Workers climb from the nest at the base of a tree into the canopy and return to its underground chambers between trips.

Lifespans have not been measured precisely. Workers probably live for some months, and queens, as in other large ants, for several years.

Each colony, often of several hundred workers, has a single queen that lays eggs in a nest at the base of a tree. Sterile female workers rear the larvae on insect prey and nectar, and winged queens and males leave to found new colonies.

Queens, males, and workers differ strongly by role.

Rarity: Uncommon · 55/100. Bullet Ant can still be found in good habitat, but local numbers shift when rainforest floor, tree base, and humid woodland changes.

• Keep distance and let the animal choose the space.
• Avoid blocking movement routes, nesting areas, or feeding behavior.
• Use optics, patience, and quiet observation instead of crowding for a closer view.