And, according to a study led by Lopez and published earlier this month in the Beilstein Journal of Nanotechnology, velvet ants have another claim to fame: The black parts of females possess a ...

This makes the velvet ant’s color what scientists call “ultrablack” or “superblack”. Traditional black colorations reflect around five to ten percent of the light that hits it ...

The velvet ant is the first known ultra-black species of the order Hymenoptera, which includes over 150,000 species of ants, wasps, sawflies, and bees. It’s a rare coloring in the wild ...

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 ...

Velvet ants in general are quite colorful, often with bright scarlet or orange patches, as well as silver, gold or white, usually with contrasting black patches. Their vibrant coloring serves as a ...

A velvet ant bite like “hot oil from the deep fryer” delivers an array of peptides that inflicts pain on insects and mammals alike.

Ants range in size from the miniscule up to one inch long, and usually appear black, brown, red, or yellow ... including the velvet ant, which is actually a hairy, wingless wasp.

About the size of a board game die, one species of velvet ant is known for its distinct black-and-white markings, which dazzle the eye as the creatures scurry across tropical savanna and a dry ...

Researchers analyzed the velvet ant’s exoskeleton and uncovered a highly specialized structure that minimizes light reflection and maximizes absorption, making it one of the most ultra-black ...