Ants’ venom can contain neurotoxins, and certain ant species employ these potent neurotoxins to deliver painful stings to mammals. For example, the South American bullet ant is notorious for its excruciating bite, which can lead to intense pain and uncontrollable trembling lasting up to 12 hours. Stings from other ant species can also cause severe and long-lasting discomfort.
However, due to the small size of ants, it has been challenging to collect and analyze their venom. Researchers from the University of Queensland in Australia have recently made a significant discovery. They found that three ant species produce peptide toxins that induce pain by binding to sodium channels in the neurons of mammals. These toxins have the effect of keeping the sodium channels open, resulting in a prolonged and painful sting.
It appears that these toxins have evolved as a defense mechanism to protect ant colonies from potential mammalian predators. The ability to deliver such painful stings serves as a deterrent to keep predators at bay and safeguard the ant colonies.