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Mother Nature's Kings of Pain
Stings and Bites of Some Animals Are Almost Beyond Endurance, Victims Say
Certain members of the animal kingdom have a talent for torture, as those of us who have been unlucky enough to experience it can attest.
Maybe you're swimming at the beach, hiking in the wilderness, or just cleaning out your basement — suddenly you're on fire, dancing or doubled over, staring at an almost invisible wound and wondering how something so small could hurt so horribly.
We have compiled a Top 10 list (in no particular order) of some of the most excruciating stings and bites nature has on offer. Some are potentially deadly, some are not. All are absolutely worth avoiding.
Bullet Ant
These inch-long insects are named after their sting; the pain is likened to being shot. Most scientists claim the creature has the most excruciating sting of all insects.
The bullet ant sting scores highest on the Schmidt Sting Pain Index, a rating created by entomologist Justin Schmidt, director of the Southwestern Biological Institute, which compares the ouch factors of different insects.
An indigenous tribe in the South America (the bullet ant's home territory) requires their young men to pass a harrowing trial with bullet ants — the boys must wear special mitts that have been lined with hundreds of the angry insects. Not only must the youths endure the stinging treatment for 10 minutes at a time, they must repeat the process 20 times over again.
Box Jellyfish
These diaphanous sea creatures are the bane of tropical beaches. Considered to be one of the more dangerous critters in the animal kingdom, their tentacles contain extremely powerful venom that can kill humans.
Along with the poison comes extraordinary, burning pain. The creature's tentacles discharge tiny needles into the victim's skin; each needle contains a cocktail of pain-inducing ingredients that make it "the most painful sting. There is no question about it," according to Dr. Joseph Burnett, past chairman of dermatology at the University of Maryland School of Medicine. "The bullet ant is nothing compared to this."
Rattlesnakes and Their Relations
If there's a family of snakes you don't want to anger, it would be the vipers.
While these snakes don't always have the most deadly bites, they have the most painful ones.
Van Wallach of the Harvard Museum of Comparative Zoology has had several viper bites; the worst one, he said, "came from an African bush viper. It felt like somebody had a blowtorch and was burning you inside your arm. … It went on for three straight days before I had any relief."
Stingrays
Although these animals gained a bad rep after the tragic Steve Irwin incident, stingrays are not aggressive or (usually) lethal animals. However, they have a sting, and on the rare occasion they choose to use it, "it's very excruciating," said Edward DeMartini, a research biologist at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration fisheries.
Scorpions
There are thousands of scorpion species, all of them equipped with stings. Many species' stings aren't much worse than a bee or hornet; but a select few can be a serious source of suffering.
"There are scorpions in the Old World that have extremely painful stings," said Don Boyer. "It gets worse and worse and worse."
Spitting Cobra
While this reptile has a poisonous bite, it doesn't actually induce much pain. Sure, it stops you from breathing, but for the venom to really make you scream, it needs to get into your eyes.
Spitting cobras have perfected the art of defense by shooting venom into an attacker's eyes, which creates a blinding, burning pain. Like many other pain-inducing animals, the reason for the agony is to keep attackers away, rather than to stage an offensive.
Van Wallach was unfortunate enough to get the spitting treatment from a cobra in the Philippines.
"It is excruciating," he said. "The only way I could relieve it was to pour milk into my eye about every 15 minutes. I was blind for about four to six hours."
Tarantula Hawk Wasp
This colorful, solitary wasp uses its stinging power to paralyze large tarantulas as food for its young. While the insect is not aggressive and rarely stings humans — "you really have to force them to sting you," said Leslie Boyer — the experience is fabled to be one of the top most painful stings out there.
According to sting expert Schmidt, the tarantula hawk rates just below the agonizing bullet ant.
"When that one when it hits you, it almost feels like you've been hit by a lightning bolt," said Schmidt. "You'll be screaming and writhing in agony. … It feels like every gland in your body is purged of all its hormones, you'll feel absolutely drained from the experience."
Stonefish
In terms of a perfect combo of pain and lethality, the homely stonefish's sting may take first prize.
The stonefish, found in the rocky, shallow waters of tropical oceans, has several extremely sharp spines along its back. Hapless waders can easily mistake the well-camouflaged fish for a rock or hunk of coral — and if they step on the animal, the spines will puncture the skin and inject a complex and deadly venom.
The pain from the sting is described as instant and intense. One victim described the experience on an online aquarium enthusiasts' forum:
"I got spiked on the finger by a stonefish in Australia … never mind a bee sting. … Imagine having each knuckle, then the wrist, elbow and shoulder being hit in turn with a sledgehammer over the course of about an hour. Then about an hour later imagine taking a real kicking to both kidneys for about 45 minutes so that you couldn't stand or straighten up. I was late 20s, pretty fit physically and this was the tiniest of nicks. Got sensation back in my finger after a few days but had recurrent kidney pains periodically for several years afterwards."
Other stories describe sting victims wanting to have their stung limb amputated from their body.
Black Widow Spider
"I never want a bad black widow bite," said Leslie Boyer, referring to the poisonous spider found all over the southern United States.
Although 95 percent of the spiders' bites are trivial, if you're unlucky enough to get nipped by a large, healthy black widow where your skin is thin, the experience can be excruciating.
Gila Monster
This slow-moving lizard from the Southwest United States packs a surprisingly painful bite.
Cecil Schwalbe, ecologist with the U.S. geological survey, was bit by a Gila monster while handling one in an outreach demonstration in front of 200 people. He lists it as the most painful bite in his experience.
Mother Nature's Kings of Pain - ABC News
Stings and Bites of Some Animals Are Almost Beyond Endurance, Victims Say
Certain members of the animal kingdom have a talent for torture, as those of us who have been unlucky enough to experience it can attest.
Maybe you're swimming at the beach, hiking in the wilderness, or just cleaning out your basement — suddenly you're on fire, dancing or doubled over, staring at an almost invisible wound and wondering how something so small could hurt so horribly.
We have compiled a Top 10 list (in no particular order) of some of the most excruciating stings and bites nature has on offer. Some are potentially deadly, some are not. All are absolutely worth avoiding.
Bullet Ant
These inch-long insects are named after their sting; the pain is likened to being shot. Most scientists claim the creature has the most excruciating sting of all insects.
The bullet ant sting scores highest on the Schmidt Sting Pain Index, a rating created by entomologist Justin Schmidt, director of the Southwestern Biological Institute, which compares the ouch factors of different insects.
An indigenous tribe in the South America (the bullet ant's home territory) requires their young men to pass a harrowing trial with bullet ants — the boys must wear special mitts that have been lined with hundreds of the angry insects. Not only must the youths endure the stinging treatment for 10 minutes at a time, they must repeat the process 20 times over again.
Box Jellyfish
These diaphanous sea creatures are the bane of tropical beaches. Considered to be one of the more dangerous critters in the animal kingdom, their tentacles contain extremely powerful venom that can kill humans.
Along with the poison comes extraordinary, burning pain. The creature's tentacles discharge tiny needles into the victim's skin; each needle contains a cocktail of pain-inducing ingredients that make it "the most painful sting. There is no question about it," according to Dr. Joseph Burnett, past chairman of dermatology at the University of Maryland School of Medicine. "The bullet ant is nothing compared to this."
Rattlesnakes and Their Relations
If there's a family of snakes you don't want to anger, it would be the vipers.
While these snakes don't always have the most deadly bites, they have the most painful ones.
Van Wallach of the Harvard Museum of Comparative Zoology has had several viper bites; the worst one, he said, "came from an African bush viper. It felt like somebody had a blowtorch and was burning you inside your arm. … It went on for three straight days before I had any relief."
Stingrays
Although these animals gained a bad rep after the tragic Steve Irwin incident, stingrays are not aggressive or (usually) lethal animals. However, they have a sting, and on the rare occasion they choose to use it, "it's very excruciating," said Edward DeMartini, a research biologist at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration fisheries.
Scorpions
There are thousands of scorpion species, all of them equipped with stings. Many species' stings aren't much worse than a bee or hornet; but a select few can be a serious source of suffering.
"There are scorpions in the Old World that have extremely painful stings," said Don Boyer. "It gets worse and worse and worse."
Spitting Cobra
While this reptile has a poisonous bite, it doesn't actually induce much pain. Sure, it stops you from breathing, but for the venom to really make you scream, it needs to get into your eyes.
Spitting cobras have perfected the art of defense by shooting venom into an attacker's eyes, which creates a blinding, burning pain. Like many other pain-inducing animals, the reason for the agony is to keep attackers away, rather than to stage an offensive.
Van Wallach was unfortunate enough to get the spitting treatment from a cobra in the Philippines.
"It is excruciating," he said. "The only way I could relieve it was to pour milk into my eye about every 15 minutes. I was blind for about four to six hours."
Tarantula Hawk Wasp
This colorful, solitary wasp uses its stinging power to paralyze large tarantulas as food for its young. While the insect is not aggressive and rarely stings humans — "you really have to force them to sting you," said Leslie Boyer — the experience is fabled to be one of the top most painful stings out there.
According to sting expert Schmidt, the tarantula hawk rates just below the agonizing bullet ant.
"When that one when it hits you, it almost feels like you've been hit by a lightning bolt," said Schmidt. "You'll be screaming and writhing in agony. … It feels like every gland in your body is purged of all its hormones, you'll feel absolutely drained from the experience."
Stonefish
In terms of a perfect combo of pain and lethality, the homely stonefish's sting may take first prize.
The stonefish, found in the rocky, shallow waters of tropical oceans, has several extremely sharp spines along its back. Hapless waders can easily mistake the well-camouflaged fish for a rock or hunk of coral — and if they step on the animal, the spines will puncture the skin and inject a complex and deadly venom.
The pain from the sting is described as instant and intense. One victim described the experience on an online aquarium enthusiasts' forum:
"I got spiked on the finger by a stonefish in Australia … never mind a bee sting. … Imagine having each knuckle, then the wrist, elbow and shoulder being hit in turn with a sledgehammer over the course of about an hour. Then about an hour later imagine taking a real kicking to both kidneys for about 45 minutes so that you couldn't stand or straighten up. I was late 20s, pretty fit physically and this was the tiniest of nicks. Got sensation back in my finger after a few days but had recurrent kidney pains periodically for several years afterwards."
Other stories describe sting victims wanting to have their stung limb amputated from their body.
Black Widow Spider
"I never want a bad black widow bite," said Leslie Boyer, referring to the poisonous spider found all over the southern United States.
Although 95 percent of the spiders' bites are trivial, if you're unlucky enough to get nipped by a large, healthy black widow where your skin is thin, the experience can be excruciating.
Gila Monster
This slow-moving lizard from the Southwest United States packs a surprisingly painful bite.
Cecil Schwalbe, ecologist with the U.S. geological survey, was bit by a Gila monster while handling one in an outreach demonstration in front of 200 people. He lists it as the most painful bite in his experience.
Mother Nature's Kings of Pain - ABC News
