The Scarlet Velvet Ant, which is actually a type of wasp, has a sting so painful that it feels like hot oil spilling over ...

Despite their name and looks, velvet ants are actually wasps. Many of these delightfully fuzzy insects exhibit bright, contrasting shades of black with red, orange or white. Their bold bodies serve as ...

But scurrying across this land of extreme whiteness is, paradoxically, one of the darkest animals on Earth: a species of velvet ant known as Traumatomutilla bifurca. With its furry exterior and ...

A team of biologists, neurologists and chemists at Indiana University has discovered why the velvet ant's sting is so painful to so many different types of creatures. In their paper published in ...

What's black and white and red all over? It might be a velvet ant. But discerning which one could be head-scratching challenge. It's a challenge made much easier, however, by a new field guide ...