gunshot wound

…said to feel like a gunshot—hence the insect’s common name—and it is considered to be the most painful of all insect stings. In Venezuela the bullet ant is known as the “24-hour ant,” in reference to the length of time a person may feel pain from a sting.

The wounding potential of a bullet is thus increased by tumbling or mushrooming upon impact. Further injury is often caused by fast-moving fragments of impacted bone. Studies of body armour seek to prevent projectile penetration and minimize injury.