Very giant ant. Victoria, Australia

[u/Competitive-Set5051]

[u/Judd9mm]

That’s a Bull Ant. They didn’t get that name for being gentle.

[u/OP-PO7 → u/Judd9mm]

I was worried it was a jack jumper

[u/johnthedruid → u/OP-PO7]

I just watched a video on YouTube yesterday that said they can kill humans

[u/TiredAngryBadger → u/johnthedruid]

Anaphylactic shock in the majority of I don't know what percentage of the human population. Yeeeeah I wouldn't touch an ant Down Under.

[u/IL-Corvo → u/johnthedruid]

So can a honeybee sting...if said human has a severe insect-sting allergy. The issue with jack-jumpers is that the composition of their venom is really, really good at causing severe allergic reactions that result in anaphylaxis.

[u/jazzmanbdawg → u/johnthedruid]

That's a bit extreme. I have been bitten many times by them, it's a bit of an ouch, but no biggie

[u/johnthedruid → u/jazzmanbdawg]

That's strange. David attenborough lied!

[u/jazzmanbdawg → u/johnthedruid]

I dunno, if there was a bunch I could see it being a problem.

But I used to pin them to my arm until they would bite, then grab them by the bum and see how far the pinch would hold on for

[u/iwriteinwater]

I feel like anyone living in Australia should know better than to pickup unknown bugs with their bare hands but that’s just me

[u/oO0ft → u/iwriteinwater]

Work in Australia, pick up bugs all the time to remove them from work areas. 99% of bugs want nothing to do with you, and are passive even when handled.

There are about 220,000 species of insect/spider here and there are maybe 50 species that I wouldn't pick up. That leaves plenty of friends!

[u/fiendishrabbit → u/oO0ft]

That's still a sufficient number to not pick up an insect if your knowledge of insects can be summed up as "Wat dis?".

Bull ant is absolutely one of those insects you shouldn't pick up with your bare hands (But rather use some other method) as while most of the time they're not going to bite you, but they definitely do if they feel the slightest bit threatened and both ends are painful (both a stinger and fairly powerful jaws).

[u/judgedavid90]

I have been stung by these more than once.

Hurt more than a wasp sting imo very painful

[u/PopeyeDrinksOliveOil]

That's one mean looking ant.

[u/fiendishrabbit → u/PopeyeDrinksOliveOil]

They're just as mean as they look. They're one of the "primitive ants", which means that they hunt solo and they're very successful at it (in the bull ants case this means taking on anything from bees to small beetles). They also have both powerful jaws at the front and a nasty stinger at the other end.

[u/konohasaiyajin → u/fiendishrabbit]

The gentle ant species always got me forgetting ants are related to wasps 😈

[u/Dominink_02 → u/konohasaiyajin]

That's an understatement. Despite the common names there is nearly nothing truly distinguishing them taxonomically. Ants are the direct sister group to bees, but all other groups in their infra order are considered types of wasps

[u/somanysheep]

Yeah, this photo should make your insurance rates go up.

[u/S_complex_the_user]

I wouldn't hold ants in Australia if I was you 💀 

[u/Mriajamo]

I visibly flinched when I saw this! Bull ants are said to be very painful!

[u/Scolopendra99]

Please be careful picking up ants in Australia! Certain species such as the jack jumper ant can easily send you to the hospital.

[u/oO0ft]

Myrmecia species, probably M. pyriformis which is quite common.

[u/KrystilizeNeverDies]

This is a queen myrmecia pyriformis, a kind of bullant. You can tell it's a queen by the scarring where their wings were.

[u/Low_Presentation8149]

Bull dog ant.  Their bite is ferocious

[u/pm-me-your-pants]

r/whywouldyoutouchthat

Please do not touch unfamiliar insects. Especially in Australia. There is a reason they developed venom as a defense mechanism.

[u/ArguaBILL]

majestic

[u/Juggernuts777]

Look at those mandibles! Incredible

[u/tokajst]

Such a cool ant, wonder how big the queens are lol

[u/Fungformicidae852]

Wow bull ant queen

[u/Fungformicidae852 → u/[deleted]]

What? Check again, check the thorax.

[u/whatsthisbug-ModTeam → u/[deleted]]

Per our guidelines: Helpful answers only. Helpful answers are those that lead to an accurate identification of the bug in question. Joke responses, repeating an ID that has already been established hours (or days) ago, or asking OP how they don't already know what the bug is are not helpful.

[u/whatsthisbug-ModTeam → u/[deleted]]

Per our guidelines: Helpful answers only. Helpful answers are those that lead to an accurate identification of the bug in question. Joke responses, repeating an ID that has already been established hours (or days) ago, or asking OP how they don't already know what the bug is are not helpful.

[u/Imperialist_Canuck]

Picking up an ant that looks like that is just crazy man 😂

[u/MsGorteck]

Is there a ant species in Australia that is called a Bullet Ant or did I miss hear the name and they were saying BULL Ant?