Bull Ant or Bullet Ant? How to Tell Them Apart

Nov 3

2 min read

Updated: 1 day ago

Bull ant and bullet ant: the names sound almost the same, and both ants are big and have a painful sting. That is why they are mixed up all the time. But they live on opposite sides of the world and are not closely related at all. Here is how to tell them apart.

Myrmecia gulosa bull ant — Myrmecia gulosa, a bull ant from Australia.

Quick comparison

Name: bull ants are the genus Myrmecia; the bullet ant is one species, Paraponera clavata.
Where: bull ants live in Australia (and one species in New Caledonia); the bullet ant lives in the rainforests of Central and South America.
Species: there are around 90 bull ant species; the bullet ant is the only living species in its genus.
Size: bull ants range from about 8 mm to around 4 cm; bullet ant workers are roughly 18 to 30 mm.
Where they hunt: bull ants mostly hunt on the ground and in low vegetation; bullet ants forage high up in the trees.
Sting: the bullet ant has the most painful sting of any insect; bull ant venom is very potent, and the main danger is allergy.

Two different families

Bull ants belong to the subfamily Myrmeciinae, an ancient group found only in Australia and New Caledonia. The bullet ant belongs to its own subfamily, Paraponerinae. Their similarities, such as a large body, big jaws and a sting, evolved separately. Read more about the history of bull ants in bull ants: living fossils.

Winged bullet ant queen (Paraponera clavata) — A winged bullet ant queen from Central and South America.

Which sting is worse?

If you only look at pain, the bullet ant wins. It sits at the top of the Schmidt sting pain index, and the pain can last for up to a day. Read more in the bullet ant sting. Bull ant stings score lower on pain scales, but bull ants can sting again and again, and in Australia their venom causes many allergic reactions. Several deaths have been recorded, mostly from jack jumper stings. Read more in the bull ant sting.

Different lifestyles

Bull ants hunt alone using their excellent eyes, and some species can even jump. Bullet ants live at the foot of rainforest trees, forage in the canopy and mostly bring home nectar. Both are impressive, but in very different ways.

Want to know everything about both? Read our 15 bull ant facts and our 12 bullet ant facts. Curious whether you could keep one? Read can you keep a bullet ant.