Ants the Silent Killer

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Ants the Silent Killer

One common creepy critter that we can probably all relate to is ants. Depending on where you are located these creatures might be more of a pest than anything, but these little guys can be deadly depending on the species. Here is some common ants that you should be afraid of:

Bulldog Ant

Bulldog Ant also known as the Myrmecia Pyriformis, this ant is found in Australia and is referred to as the most dangerous ant in the world. What makes it so scary is that when it attacks it uses both its jaws and its stinger simultaneously. It will use its long teeth to bite into its victim’s flesh and then curl its body underneath and sting you over and over again, each time injecting its deadly venom into its prey. Since 1936, it has killed at least 3 humans, and can do so within 15 minutes of its attack.

 

 

fireAntFire Ants are most common in Africa, but I know that they were around in Texas when I lived there for a short while. Fire ants are more aggressive in packs, they aren’t on the hunt for new victims, but they will attack you if you disturb them. When they sting it releases a pheromone that will tell the other ants its “go time” and the rest of the colony will soon be helping their small friend take down its predator.  They get their name because their sting feels like you are getting burnt with fire. To make it worse, their sting will quickly become inflamed, swollen and start to pus. The pus will last for 3 to 4 days, but the red mark can last for months.

 

harvesterAntHarvester Ant’s main habitat is in Florida, they get their name from their passion of harvesting seeds from plants that they store underground. One insteading fact about harvester ants is that if these seeds get wet they will remove the seeds from underground and bring them to the surface so that they don’t grow. They also are non-violent ants until they get disturbed, if threatened they will fight back harshly. A bite from these little critters is said to be excruciating, and just like fire ants, the bite will quickly pus up and excrete watery, sticky secretions.

 

bulletAntThe Bullet Ant that lives in South Central America and South America, got its name because if you get bite by one of these creatures it feels like you have just been shot. To add to that pain, their venom affects the nervous system and will cause muscle spasms.

 

 

SiafuAntThe Siafu ant is found primarily in Central and West Africa. They travel in large packs and have larger colonies than any other ant colony in the world, ranging all the way up to approximately 22 million ants per colony. They are also one of the largest ants in the world, growing anywhere from 1/8 of an inch all the way up to 2 inches long. What makes these ants extremely creepy is they are carnivores! They will feast on any animal that they come across, and that animal better catch on quick, otherwise a colony of the Siafu ant will devour them. They are incredibly aggressive and will attack if they feel even one member of the colony is threatened. They have huge mandibles with a strangely tight grasp. Oddly enough, there have been reports of them killing humans. The way that they attack animals is different than other ants, that they will not sting you first, they will just bite, bite so hard infact that African tribes have used these guys as sutures for an open wound.

 

 

Ants have been be used as a torture device in action and horror movies for centuries. As the thought of getting tied down and devoured by hundreds of small critters that bite you thousands of times, each time the bite feeling more excruciating than the last will make anybodies skin crawl. The most famous of movies that used this method was Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, where two soldiers were eaten alive by Driver Ants in a matter of minutes. Obviously, this was exaggerated for Hollywood, but if it was even close to a true story these soldiers would have got off easy. As you can see from above, ants have been known as the cause of several fatalities, but the quickest death is an agonizing 15 minutes, you could only be so lucky that the pain would be gone as quick as 2 minutes.

Where monsters and ghosts might be frightening because they are unseen killers, ants can be just as scary. These tiny little creatures can go unseen as well until its too late, so be careful! The woods may be full of creepy and unknown dangers, but its also full of real dangers!

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