WHAT CAN A BULLET ANT DO TO YOUR BODY?
Found in rainforests of Nicaragua and Paraguay, the Bullet ant (Paraponera clavata) is the largest of all ants in the world. They are named after their painful sting which would make the victim feel like being shot. The sting of a bullet ant is 30 times more painful than of a wasp or a honey bee. This fascinating creature has been named as the '24-hour ant' by locals because the pain from the sting is said to last 24 hours. It can grow up to an inch in length and is typically either red or brown in color.
Although nonaggressive, bullet ants will sting when incited. On being attacked by a bullet ant, it releases chemicals that signal other ants nearby to sting over and over again. The bullet ant has the most excruciating sting of any insect, as indicated by the Schmidt Pain Index.
HOW DOES THE BULLET ANT STING AFFECT HUMAN BODY?
The primary poison released in by bullet ant sting is poneratoxin. Poneratoxin is a little neurotoxic peptide that inactivates voltage-gated sodium channels located in skeletal muscle thereby, blocking the synapse transmission in the central nervous system. In addition to excruciating pain, the venom produces temporary paralysis and uncontrollable shaking. Other symptoms include nausea, vomiting, fever, and cardiac arrhythmia. Allergic reactions to the venom are rare. While the venom is not lethal to humans, it paralyzes or kills other insects.
THE MOST PECULIAR TRADITION ASSOCIATED WITH BULLET ANTS:
A few tribes in the Amazon have a fascinating custom for the adolescent males of their society where their transition to adulthood is marked by the age-old tradition of getting forcefully stung by the bullet ants to demonstrate their masculinity. A boy must stick his hands into 'bullet ant gloves' that contain a few hundred bullet ants for at least ten minutes.
During the brief custom, a boy feels sharp pricking from the bullet ants in the bullet ant glove, yet nothing excessively excruciating. Be that as it may, the delayed consequences of the stings are far more awful. The venom shoots rapidly through the blood of the body and into the muscles. The muscles become frail, the whole body starts shivering, the lips swell and the eyelids start to droop. The young man sweats and drools uncontrollably and may even lose the sense of his surroundings due to confusion. These impacts can keep going up to 3 hours.
After the worst effect of the bullet ant sting is over, the pain still does not subside. The young man's hands swell a few times their ordinary measure and stay swollen for at least an additional 12 hours. The sharp agonies proceed to go back and forth. The impacts of the bullet ants won't completely disseminate until 24 hours in the wake of being stung. On the off chance that a youngster can deal with physical agony prompted by bullet ants, it is felt he will surely be fit for taking care of anything. A few tribes even expect men to take part in this custom multiple times before turning into a tribe warrior.
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I would like to thank Shubhranshu Shekhar for suggesting this amazing topic!
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ANTeresting !!!
ReplyDeleteHaha I love puns!
DeleteWould like to try it(bullet ant gloves) one day.. 🥂
ReplyDeleteYou always like testing your limits, don't you?
DeleteHaha... Yeah.. It's fun isn't it? 😅😂
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ReplyDeleteHow amazing is this na.Nature doesn't do partiality. Even such a small creature can make you scream through a searing pain. This shows that small or bigger doesn't matter. The thing that matters is, what you can do 😌. Nature is perfect in every sense we must learn. Btw 😏 rohini.. Would you like to taste the sting once.. 🙉I wanna see how you react.
ReplyDeleteOh no no no I am terrified of things that hurt too much lol! I don't see myself doing this ever in my life
ReplyDelete