‘Cow Killer Ants’ Alive & Well In Tennessee
on Sep 20, 2019 • Updated Jan 21, 2020
This huge ant looks beautiful, but Great Smoky Mountains National Park is warning everyone: stay away!
The scientific name is Dasymutilla occidentalis, but it is widely known as a “red velvet ant” because of its red velvet looks. But although it is nicknamed the “red velvet ant,” the animal actually isn’t an ant at all! It’s a species of parasitoid wasp and is called an “ant” because the females are wingless.
The red velvet ant is not actually an ant, but a female wingless wasp. Their sting is extremely painful. pic.twitter.com/u89IbPTJxd
— Weird Animals (@Weird_AnimaIs) January 13, 2019
Another “fun” fact about these red velvet ants is that their sting is so painful, it would kill a cow – hence their other nickname, “cow killer ants.”
Apparently, Great Smoky Mountains National Park has seen an influx of these cow killer ants and is warning visitors.
https://www.facebook.com/GreatSmokyMountainsNPS/photos/a.224440994279905/2476281852429130/
A sting so painful it could kill a cow sounds pretty bad, so keep your eyes peeled! Some people on YouTube purposely had these cow killer ants sting them, and it looks bad. Check one out below.
