The panda-ant may look cute, but its sting is painful! Technically not an ant but a wasp, its colors and patters are aposematic, warning other predators to stay away. Only the female is wingless, and despite sometimes being referred to as the “cow-killer ant,” its sting isn’t the most deadly or painful: this title belongs to a type of harvester ant that can kill a two-pound mammal with just six stings.
These wasps, which can be found in Chile and Argentina, are solitary, do not live in colonies or have “nests,” and are not aggressive. However, the panda-ant is parasitic, and lays its eggs on or near other ground-nesting insect larva or pupa; the hatched young then use the larva as a food source.
More info: wikipedia
Source: Chris Lukhaup
Source: photomonde.fr
Source: silamtao
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We get "cow killer ant" wasps in the U.S., too, though they are not "panda ants". On our farm in Virginia, we get ones that are black and red in thick stripes. If you step on or squeeze one, it makes a loud squeaky cry. If you see something that looks like a huge ant, it's most likely a "cow killer ant" wasp. The "panda ant" is a little cuter than ours!
Omg how cute so it's petty much a form of velvet ant that we get here in So Cal, which is actually a wingless wasp. I didn't know they had color variations! I love it!😍
We get "cow killer ant" wasps in the U.S., too, though they are not "panda ants". On our farm in Virginia, we get ones that are black and red in thick stripes. If you step on or squeeze one, it makes a loud squeaky cry. If you see something that looks like a huge ant, it's most likely a "cow killer ant" wasp. The "panda ant" is a little cuter than ours!
Omg how cute so it's petty much a form of velvet ant that we get here in So Cal, which is actually a wingless wasp. I didn't know they had color variations! I love it!😍
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