![]() Some of them have an ingenious way of escaping from predators by covering themselves in elaborate ‘wax sculptures’. They are very difficult to catch as they can move in all directions incredibly quickly with their comically lithe and powerful limbs. These tiny, speedy little critters come in a variety of incredibly vibrant colors, looking like they come from an alien planet. In a totally bizarre practice, the Satere Mawe tribe of the Brazilian Amazon has a manhood ritual in which boys have to wear gloves filled with these ants and endure the hideously painful bites for five minutes before they can be considered true warriors. These ants are extremely aggressive towards humans and will defend their nest ferociously, and the searing pain of their bites and stings can last up to 24 hours. It is also the second-largest species of ant in the world behind the giant hunting ant. The bite of this insect has been compared to the pain of being shot, earning the bullet ant its name. Weighing in as the most dangerous insect for humans on this list, the bullet ant has the title of having the most painful insect bite in the world. The pain of these spines has been likened to the pain of a broken bone or blunt force trauma, so this is one insect that it is best to admire from afar!īullet Ant In The Rainforest 4. These little critters can be found searching for food amongst the leafy canopy in the northern parts of the Amazon, and their adult form is equally furry and cute!ĭon’t be fooled by the harmless appearance of this little guy – the soft yellow fur hides dangerous venomous spines that upon contact with the skin can cause severe pain, nausea, burning, rashes, chest pain, and difficulty breathing. Now it may just look like somebody has dropped their toupe, but this is actually the larva of a flannel moth. Despite the apparent fierceness, these beetles are actually gentle and harmless to humans, making them popular pets in parts of Asia! 3. They are proportionally the strongest animal on the planet, and can lift up to 850 times their own bodyweight! The male beetles clash together in deadly battles over females, lifting and throwing each other to the ground like armored wrestlers. These powerful and impressive beetles from the scarab family have huge, intimidating horns that give them their name, and can grow up to 6 inches in size. Then, if all else fails, the lanternfly can resort to more direct methods by squirting a foul-smelling liquid into the face of its assailant. If that doesn’t work, the lanternfly can spread its wings to reveal two large circular patterns very closely resembling the eyes of a jaguar or ocelot. Some entomologists think it is to ward off predators by mimicking the head of a lizard or snake. This odd insect’s name came about because of a mistaken belief that their heads were bioluminescent, but this has proven to be untrue.Ī member of the Fulgoridae family, it is unclear exactly why the lanternfly has such a strange, bulbous head. Yep – this is an actual real insect, not a strange photoshop job crossing a moth with a peanut. Many of the weird and wonderful insect species of the Amazon look like something straight out of the most far-fetched sci-fi movie, and we’ve compiled a list of our favorite bugs: 1. Scientists estimate that the Amazon basin is home to over 2.5 million species of insects, with just one acre of rainforest estimated to contain up to 70,000 different insect species! It contains the greatest number of butterfly species in the world (7,000 of the world’s 20,000 butterfly species can be found here), and it is estimated that ants make up 30% of the total animal biomass of the Amazon basin! ![]() In reality, the majority of the animal life in the Amazon is made up of insects, and the numbers are staggering! When most of us think of animals in the Amazon jungle, we think of the impressive megafauna like giant snakes, parrots, jaguars, monkeys, and poisonous frogs. ![]() It is no secret that South America’s Amazon Rainforest is one of the most biologically diverse places in the world – around one in ten of all the known animal species in the world can be found there.
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