Home»Brazil/Amazon/Rio Negro Rivers»Jungle Ride/Walk

During our jungle walks, the group would divide up and each guide would take his group on a hike. During this trip we saw bats, hawks, woodpeckers, parrots, weaver birds nests, seeds that fall into the water are eaten by the fish who have teeth that can penetrate the hard shell of the seeds. Also we ran into Bullet Ants. These ants are close to an inch long and vicious. They are used by some tribes in rights of passage rituals for young men. These ants have a bite that is apparently very painful as the bit injects a venom that contains a neurotoxin that causes intense pain for 24 hours. Some scientists feel that the bite from this ant is the most intense of all known insect bites. Tribes put drugged ants in large weaved gloves. The young men place their hands in the gloves and once the ants wake up will attack the hands of the men. They must leave their hands in the gloves for approximately 30 minutes and not show any sign of discomfort. This ritual can be done up to 24 times.