![]() The single victim was one eaten by a large toad that became ill for a day. Three others were eaten and regurgitated unharmed. ![]() The investigators in the study found that the defense system of the velvet ant is so effective that despite 100 interactions with bluebirds, mockingbirds, toads, lizards, shrews and other predators, only one velvet ant was consumed and digested. ![]() According to a study conducted on the human pain index relative to other types, a velvet ant’s sting came in fourth out of 62 species of wasps and bees, with 58 being judged to be less painful. One study showed that it took 11 times more pressure to crush a velvet ant than a honeybee.Īny predator that hasn’t taken the hint by now must deal with the stinger. The velvet ant’s body is extraordinarily strong, like Iron Man of the insect world. When threatened, the velvet ant makes a buzzing sound from its abdomen and releases an alarm chemical from glands in the mouth area. Any distinctively colored insect walking around completely exposed during the day typically has an arsenal of some sort up its sleeve. For openers, velvet ants give fair warning that they are dangerous. Velvet ants have enormous stingers half their body length, and the research paper focused on the full defense system of these near-indestructible wasp parasites against a variety of terrestrial and avian predators, including amphibians, reptiles, birds and mammals. I distinctly remember the painful sting he was referring to in his email the other experience was more gratifying and made up for the unpleasant one. Trip and I experienced two memorable events involving velvet ants when we worked together at the University of Georgia’s Savannah River Ecology Lab several years ago. If you are familiar with the movie “Alien,” you know the rest. The velvet ant lays an egg in the nest, and a developing bee or wasp eats the egg and becomes parasitized internally. They walk around during the day in search of bees and wasps that nest in the ground. The large eastern variety, often called a “cow killer,” looks like an enormous, bright red ant. Tiny bristles cover the body, giving them a velvety appearance. They belong to a family of more than 3,000 wasps found worldwide. Gall of Hanover College in Indiana and several colleagues. ![]() The attachment was a scientific paper titled “The Indestructible Insect: Velvet Ants from Across the United States.” The authors were Brian G. They tell potential predators “don’t mess with me” through their visually striking, often red and black “stripes,” that act as a visual defense mechanism.Trip Lamb’s email said, “As a velvet ant sting survivor, you may appreciate the attached.” Trip is a biology professor at East Carolina University. ![]() Velvet ants use their aposematic coloration to their advantage. The “velvet” part of velvet ant refers to the dense heap of hairs covering top portions of its body, which is usually a bright shade of red or orange, although some species are gold, silver, black or white. When the velvet ant larva emerges, it will consume this host within about a week before it matures and emerges from the host nest to seek a mate. That is, a female adult velvet ant will forcibly enter a nest to deposit an egg beside its larval victim. They rely mainly on mature larvae (such as pupae and cocoons) of other solitary species in the Hymenoptera order (other wasps, bees, and ants) to parasitize. Females, who lack wings, need a suitable host to be able to lay their eggs, and they spend most of their time looking for one. Although capable of flight, males are incapable of stinging, as they lack stingers. If you see a velvet ant with wings, rest assured, it is a male. ![]()
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