Marty’s photo of the day #3381: I had wanted to visit the Amazon Rainforest ever since I was a kid. So when Deb and I traveled there for an adventure to be included in my first book, “Cool Creatures, Hot Planet: Exploring the Seven Continents,” I was excited to head out on my first Amazon Rainforest hike. My “dream come true” soon became an adventure in pain. Just minutes into my inaugural hike, a bullet ant crawled up my leg and stung me in the calf. The ants are known for having the most painful sting in the world, and many entomologists consider them to be the most venomous insect. That sting caused pressure to build up in my leg to the point that I thought my skin would burst open, but fortunately the pain disappeared within a day.

Welcome to the Amazon!