Transcript:

Today on Animal Fact Files we’re talking about red velvet ants. If you enjoy this video, be sure to subscribe; and thank you to Noma Dobbs for today’s deadly request. We say deadly because these arthropods are also known as cow killer ants, which we’ll discuss later in this episode, but first and foremost we want to set something straight: red velvet ants are not ants, they’re wasps. Something to consider is that these wasps are solitary and ants form colonies; it’s atypical to see more than a handful of red velvet ants… which are wasps… hanging out together. Even if a male and female were sighted together, they may not even be recognized as the same species. Female red velvet ants are wingless and typically have bright red markings, though these can also appear orangish and yellowish, as well. Male red velvet ants, on the other hand, have wings - also they don’t sting, but we’ll get back to that.

When male and female red velvet ants get together, their interaction is usually brief. After mating, a female will seek out the perfect place to lay her eggs - which is namely within the cocoons of other arthropod larvae. Did we not mention these wasps are parasitoids? Yup, the mama red velvet ant will find the egg chambers of other arthropods, including other wasps, burrow into them, eat through the casing containing the growing host inside, lay her egg, then seal up the hole so her baby stays safe and move on to the next unlucky victims to lay her remaining eggs. The red velvet ant eggs will hatch after just a few days and the larvae will spend the next week or so consuming their host entirely. They get kind of sleepy after all that eating, so they’ll pupate within the same chamber the host’s mother had constructed for her now deceased young, and the adult red velvet ant will emerge after a little less than a month. Ah yes, the world of parasitism is both fascinating and utterly skin crawling.

As adults red velvet ants eat cockroaches, beetles, flies, bees, and other wasps. The females use their sting to win a meal, and it’s this sting that has earned them the other common name “cow killer”. Supposedly the sting of a red velvet ant is painful enough that it could kill a cow, though these wasps aren’t really in the market for beef. Some people who have been stung by red velvet ants do report that the red velvet ant’s sting is worse than that of any other stinging insect’s sting they’ve encountered. As for us, we prefer to look and not touch. All that being said, however, it’s important to remember that males of these species aren’t even able to sting, though they do pretend to, and this often leads to them escaping from predators unscathed! It’s been noted that these ants are usually avoided by all would-be predators and this is likely due to their painful reputation… it might be that they make squeaking sounds when caught, too. I mean, that’s enough to freak anyone out, right? Well, if it’s not, they can also release noxious chemicals, so, they’re definitely giving off a “please just leave me alone” vibe. If you are worried about running into one, you can relax if you live anywhere besides North America.

Red velvet ants likely don’t live past a year and are most active during the late spring to early fall. At full size they can be about three quarters of an inch (2 centimeters) long, making them some of the largest of the more than 3,000 velvet ant species. Oh yeah, there’s more. There’s lots more.

For more facts on red velvet ants, check out the links in the description! Give a thumbs up if you learned something new today, and thank you for watching Animal Fact Files!