- I'm Mark Vins, and I'm about to take a sting
from the most aggressive ant on the planet.
Ah!
This nest here in front of me is home
to the Australian bulldog ant that can both bite and sting.
And I'm about to find out just how much damage it can do.
I'm going to attempt to use this little stick
to try to get a bulldog ant for our sting test.
All right, got our forceps, small container.
Now we just need the bulldog ant itself.
I'm going to lightly disturb the entryway.
Oh, here we go, got 'em already.
That makes me nervous.
The ants are starting to swarm.
You see how big they are?
This is like a volcano of ants.
Oh gosh, almost got me!
They're getting on me.
All right, I'm gonna have to get our ant fast.
Here we go.
I got it, yes.
Oh man, oh, there we go.
We've got one.
That is a really good-size bulldog ant.
Starting to swarm a little too much to hang out here.
Let's go reposition away from the nest
so we can get a closer look
at one of the scariest ants in the world.
Australians fear these massive ants
because they attack in swarms, and without warning.
If you accidentally disturb them,
you can be covered in just a matter of seconds.
Bulldog ants can be found all over Australia
and often build nests in people's yards and local parks,
which is exactly where we discovered these ants.
This particular species is one of the largest growing
to over one inch in length.
And of course, for this sting test,
we wanted the big dogs so we can compare
how they rank against the legendary bullet ants
of South and Central America.
Now it's time to find out which is worse.
Alright, guys, it is officially go time
with the bulldog ant.
Look at the size of this insect.
Size-wise, I would definitely say,
it gives the bullet ant a run for its money,
but appearance, this ant is second to none when it comes
to intimidation factor.
But before I test the might of this insect,
let's get it out of the container
and take an even closer look at those jaws and its stinger.
All right, here we go.
Whoa, it's already jumping out.
I wanna be very careful right now.
And they are so aggressive.
Look at that!
It's already biting on the forceps.
I'm just gonna try my best to get a good grip
and I'm getting nervous.
Gosh, hang on.
All right, I gotta get it on the ground.
Here we go.
Unlike other ants,
they don't really react to scents and pheromones.
They react to sight.
So anytime I try to grab it with the forceps,
it sees that I'm coming.
There we go, okay, perfect hold.
There it is.
No animal has been requested for a sting test more
than the bulldog ant in the history of Brave Wilderness.
And now I can see why.
Wow, I have never seen a more terrifying-looking ant
in my entire life.
Let's start at the top.
Look at the size of those mandibles.
They're like serrated shears attached to these bulbous eyes.
It's almost like a vice grip,
just ready to snap and pinch onto anything it can touch.
Look at the eyes of the ant.
You can really see how much it reacts by using its sight.
Look how it turns its head to the different ways
that I position my finger around it.
And then, of course, before we get to the stinger,
I just have to say, look at the size of those legs!
Because they are visually stimulated,
they use their extremely long legs to extend quickly
and flick themselves onto any wooden predators
earning them the name, jumping jacks.
And then of course,
we can see the stinger flying already from the abdomen.
Like other stinging insects, only the females can sting.
This is actually a sentry or a soldier ant tasked
with guarding the front of the nest.
And you saw with just the slightest disruption,
a fleet of soldiers came flying out of the nest ready
for attack and they got all over my boots
and nearly took a sting right away,
but we saved the sting for this moment in the video.
The sting of this ant is said to be one
of the most painful experiences that you can get
from any animal here on the continent of Australia.
Some even argue, in the world.
The biggest difference between bullet and bulldog ant stings
are the toxins they use.
Bullet ants use the poneratoxin, which is slow building
and can last for days.
Where bulldog ants use formic acid that causes instant pain.
And when these ants swarm and cover people by the dozens,
they have the ability to take down a fully grown adult.
Holy cow, she's looking at me!
Oh my gosh, look at that stinger go.
I have a feeling this is going to hurt.
I'm Mark Vins, and I'm about to enter the Sting Zone
with one of the most terrifying ants on the planet,
the Australian bulldog ant, whew.
On three, one, two, three.
Ah, yeah!
Ah, oh God, you see the stinger going in?
Ah!
Yeah!
That's a good sting.
Ah, oh, yeah, oh!
Ah, she's really got its stinger in me!
Ah, look at it, stinger's in.
Ah, ah, hmm, hmm, hmm, hmm, aah!
All right, put it back in the jar.
Oh, that hurts!
All right.
Ah, oh my gosh!
Whoa!
Oh, oh my goodness!
Yeah, that burns.
That is a super, super intense sting.
Oh my gosh.
Okay, hang on.
Let me compose myself.
Oh, oh man, that was like instant fire underneath my skin.
So much more like potent than the bullet ant.
But I could tell you this, the bite was really nothing.
Didn't really get a good grip on with those jaws,
but it's certainly got its stinger stuck in my arm
and it getting a little dry now.
Hang on, my adrenaline's kicking in.
- [Director] You okay, Mark?
- Yeah, I'm all right, I think.
All right.
Geez, it's also hot out all of a sudden.
All right, I think I'm good to continue on.
All right.
Oh, you bulldog!
Oh, all right.
See, that stinger site?
Got a little bit of a acute swelling,
maybe some residual bumps, and it definitely burns.
I would say the initial onset of the sting,
it was like a lightning bolt.
Way more intense than a bullet ant,
but I could tell you it's already starting to subside a bit.
But wow, that is a rip shot of pain, man!
I'm really getting dry mouth, guys.
The a.
- [Director] Is your EpiPen in your backpack?
- It is, I've got my EpiPen, don't worry.
- [Director] Okay.
- Yeah, I don't need it yet but you gotta monitor my.
Lemme make sure my tongue's not swelling up or anything.
But holy cow, that sting is like a hammer.
It's like somebody literally just took a hammer
and went, wham, instantaneous pain.
Not even a small delay.
As soon as the stinger touched my skin, boom, it was on.
Aaah!
Yaah!
Oh, I hope you enjoyed that one
because I don't think I wanna go arm
to stinger again with that intimidating little ant.
Now, I am not outta the woods by any means.
I'm gonna continue to monitor this sting
over the next two days.
I could tell you this.
A single sting from a bulldog ant
so far does not compete with the bullet ant.
Unlike the bullet ant that just started
to build and build and build,
I'm starting to really get past that initial wave of pain.
And now I'm just really more dealing
with the the after effects of adrenaline.
Starting to get that like queasy stomach, cold sweat,
and just simple nausea that I usually get
after taking a sting.
But a swarm of bulldog ants,
I would estimate could take
even the most pain-tolerant person to their knees.
All right, I think I'm gonna need some ice.
Sure enough, things got a lot worse.
Just hours later, the redness and inflammation flared up
and were joined by an intense itching
that lasted for several days.
Compared to other stings I've taken,
this one was a sleeper that turned into a monster.
Bulldog ant stings are known for their instant pain.
So I was shocked when I was hit
with these delayed reactions.
While I did not experience the 24 hours
of deep bone break pain that the bullet ant gave me.
Ah, oh, oh, that hurts!
Aaah!
Mmh, ugh!
That is searing pain.
This was far from an ordinary walk in the park.
In fact, as of the editing of this video,
my arm is still discolored and healing.
If I were to have been swarmed
and stung like the stick in the beginning of the video,
it would've been a very bad situation.
But now I know exactly why Australians
go so far out of their way to avoid the jumping terror
that is the bulldog ant, yikes.