Australian coronial records from 1980 to 1999 tell of six deaths attributed to anaphylaxis from bull ants, mostly from jack-jumpers.
They have small colonies, with a few hundred or at most a few thousand residents, compared to millions in some ants.
Bull ant spotted in bushland surrounding Swifts Creek, Victoria.
Bull ant fossils have been found in Canada, Colorado, Germany, Denmark and Argentina, going back 50 million years.
In A Lady’s Visit to the Gold Diggings of Australia in 1852-53, Mrs Charles Clacy lauded their courage:
“They do not — like the English ones — run scared away at the sight of a human being — not a bit of it; Australian ants have more pluck, and will turn and face you.
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