5
Red Harvester Ant
Source: The Schmidt sting pain index, Image: Wikipedia
Red harvester ants are adorably industrious, foraging for seeds on the forest floor and hoarding them in underground larders. However, they can be downright aggressive when defending their stash. Their sting ranks alongside paper wasps in intensity and is “bold and unrelenting, like somebody using a drill to excavate your ingrown toenail,” says the Schmidt Pain Index.
4
Gila Monster
Source: nationalgeographic.com, Image: Wikipedia
Gila monsters are colorful lizards native to the American Southwest that can deliver quite the wallop—and their neurotoxic venom is only the half of it. Since they lack the musculature to forcibly inject the venom, they rely on hard chewing with their sharp teeth to ensure the poison gets implanted. Gila monsters can be so aggressive that they have been known to flip over while biting, further opening up the wound. Luckily, these creatures are mostly docile toward humans so long as they are left alone.
3
Platypus
Source: nationalgeographic.com, Image: Wikipedia
Considering the large number of venomous creatures that inhabit Australia, the odd-looking, cute, and clumsy platypus might seem like a safe option. Think again. A male platypus has ankle spurs that are capable of delivering a wicked sting. So wicked that the excruciating pain can incapacitate an adult human. The pain is also long-lasting, and can even turn into a condition called hyperalgesia, a heightened sensitivity to pain that may last for weeks or months following the initial sting.
2
Tarantula Hawk Wasp
Source: The Schmidt sting pain index, Image: Wikipedia
The tarantula hawk wasp is only two inches long and three inches wide, looks totally harmless, but the damage its bite can do is one of a kind. However, while it’s very close to the most painful sting on Earth, the agony and pain lasts only a few minutes.
1
Bullet Ant
Source: The Schmidt sting pain index, Image: Wikipedia
This not so intimidating-looking ant is capable of inflicting the most agonizing sting in the insect world. The Schmidt Pain Index describes it as “pure, intense, brilliant pain. Like fire-walking over flaming charcoal with a three-inch rusty nail in your heel.” According to victims who have suffered both the misfortune of being stung by a bullet ant and being shot with a firearm, the feeling is similar (hence the name). And the pain can last for twelve hours.
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