As it happens, velvet ants, known colloquially to Brazilians as “sorcerer ants,” are actually a type of wasp, but the females, which are wingless, give the creatures their name. And ...

An ant that disappears into the forest floor, a bird that demands attention from mates—for these animals, an inky black ...

Nonetheless, the discovery of the ultrablack cuticle in the Brazilian velvet ant, Traumatomutilla bifurca, makes this species unique amongst their relatives, the bees, wasps and ants. Figure 1 ...

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 ...

Ants may seem harmless, but some species pose serious threats due to their venom, aggressive behavior, or destructive habits.

The tarantula hawk earned a top score of four, making its sting almost unbearably painful. It's considered about as painful as the warrior wasp's sting, and slightly more painful than that of a velvet ...

The first thing to understand about velvet ants is that they are not, in fact, ants. They're wasps, some of which are wingless, and are named in part for their fluffy exteriors. About the size of ...