I'll go ahead and explain this for anyone who doesn't understand. This is what's called a velvet ant or a cow killer. They're generally ranked in the top 10 most painful stings that aren't guaranteed to kill you. They're wingless wasps. Getting stung on your arm or leg will give you a core memory but probably not kill you. The reason they kill cows is because the cows eat them and get stung in the throat. They're very docile though so I pick them up.
They're very chill little bros, really. And, honestly, very befriendable. They're not going to sting you unless you really work at getting them to. You basically have to torture the poor little guy in order to get one to sting. Even if you step on one, they usually just shrug it off and won't attempt to sting.
[Velvet ants] can be found worldwide with about 230 genera or subgenera and around 8,000 species worldwide. Over 400 species occur in the North American Southwest.
I'll go ahead and explain this for anyone who doesn't understand. This is what's called a velvet ant or a cow killer. They're generally ranked in the top 10 most painful stings that aren't guaranteed to kill you. They're wingless wasps. Getting stung on your arm or leg will give you a core memory but probably not kill you. The reason they kill cows is because the cows eat them and get stung in the throat. They're very docile though so I pick them up.
They're very chill little bros, really. And, honestly, very befriendable. They're not going to sting you unless you really work at getting them to. You basically have to torture the poor little guy in order to get one to sting. Even if you step on one, they usually just shrug it off and won't attempt to sting.
I guess swallowing them rules them sufficiently
Yeah ... not recommended to swallow friend.
Velvet Ant is not a big fan of vore.
Dang, where are they so I can avoid them? Really cute friends tho, ngl!
Velvet Ant Wikipedia page
Can confirm the hell out of this.
can i pet them though
really gently without making them think i'm squishing them
You can pet anything, at least once.
Whoa. It's crazy how varied velvet ants are. I was so sure the ones I grew up with were red with a black stripe in the middle of their abdomen.
Turns out I didn't misremember: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dasymutilla_occidentalis
Red Velvet
CakeAntReminds me of the red-back (thorax) spider that disappeared into a crack in the floor, today. I didn't pursue, but dang, it was cute!
Formics are friends, not food.