![A Picture of a Bullet Ant (paraponera clavata)](https://www.factsjustforkids.com/wp-content/uploads/bullet-ant-paraponera-clavata.png)
- Common Name: Bullet Ant
- Kingdom: Animalia
- Phylum: Arthropoda
- Class: Insecta
- Order: Hymenoptera
- Family: Formicidae
- Genus: Paraponera
13 Bullet Ant Facts for Kids
- A bullet ant is an ant species known for its extremely painful stings.
- Bullet ants are members of the Formicidae family and considered a true ant.
- The bullet ant was first described in 1775, by Johan Fabricius, a Danish Zoologist.
- The binomial name for a bullet is Paraponera clavata.
- Bullet ants are sometimes referred to the conga ant or the lesser giant hunting ant.
- Bullet ants live in humid lowland rainforests in Central and South America.
- Bullet ants are omnivores, they feed on live prey and nectar.
- The average size of a bullet ant is between 0.7 and 1.2 inches long.
- The bullet ant is considered the world’s largest true ant species.
- Unlike other species of ants, the queen of a bullet ant colony is usually not much larger than the workers.
- A colony of bullet ants will on average have several hundred ants.
- Bullet ant colonies are commonly found at the base of a tree.
- A sting from a bullet ant has been compared to the same amount of pain from a gunshot. On the Schmidt sting pain index a bullet ant sting is considered a 4.0+. The pain from a bullet ant sting can last more than 24 hours.
Bullet Ant Pictures
![A close-up picture of a bullet ant's body](https://www.factsjustforkids.com/wp-content/uploads/a-close-up-of-a-bullet-ant.png)
A close-up picture of a bullet ant’s body.Credit: Project Noah
![A close-up picture of a bullet ant's head](https://www.factsjustforkids.com/wp-content/uploads/close-up-of-a-bullet-ants-head.png)
A close-up picture of a bullet ant’s head.Credit: Unknown
![A photo of a bullet ant on a human finger](https://www.factsjustforkids.com/wp-content/uploads/a-bullet-ant-on-a-human-finger.png)
A photo of a bullet ant on a human finger.Credit: Fewell Lab at ASU
Additional Resources for Bullet Ant Facts
- Bullet Ant Stings – Learn about bullet ant stings and why they are the worst in the world.
- The Venom of a Bullet Ant – A video on bullet ant venom on the Chicago Field Museum website.
- Bullet Ant – Wikipedia – Discover more about fire ants on the Wikipedia website.