Velvet ants have the Swiss Army knife of venoms

The venom acts on distinct molecular targets in mammals and insects

image of velvet ant

Velvet ants deliver a savagely painful sting, prompting their other, more colorful nickname: cow killers.

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Few creatures can tangle with a velvet ant and walk away unscathed. These ground-dwelling insects are not ants, but parasitic wasps known for their excruciating stings.

Now researchers have discovered that the wasps don’t dole out pain the same way to all species.