Some researchers say that fire ants have an internal “compass” created by eating tiny bits of mineral called magnetite, allowing them to navigate in the darkness.
The “bullet” ants of Central and South America are given that name due to the intense burning pain caused by their sting.
*The pain caused by this insect’s sting is purported to be greater than that of any other Hymenopteran, and is ranked as the most painful according to the Schmidt Sting Pain Index. It is described as causing “waves of burning, throbbing, all-consuming pain that continues unabated for up to 24 hours”. It is thought that the ant has evolved this way to ward off any predators who would normally unearth them. In some indigenous communities, to enter manhood, a boy has to endure being stung by the ant 20 times without screaming. A paralyzing neurotoxic peptide isolated from the venom is poneratoxin.