a species of velvet ant known as Traumatomutilla bifurca. With its furry exterior and distinct black and white markings, the insect “looks like magic,” Vinicius Lopez, an entomologist at the ...

Guiellermo-Ferreira suspects these conditions are what lead to the female velvet ant’s powerful sting. And as with skunks and bees, its black-and-white colorations are aposematic, or warning ...

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 ...