Red Velvet Ant facts: they're not actually ants for starters... | Animal Fact Files
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 25 มิ.ย. 2019
- On this episode of Animal Fact Files discover a wasp with a confusing name who could supposedly kill a cow.
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Image and Video Credits:
Michelleosprey - • Velvet Ant
David Hill - www.flickr.com/photos/dehill/... www.flickr.com/photos/dehill/... www.flickr.com/photos/dehill/...
Doug McGrady - www.flickr.com/photos/douglas...
Fritz Flohr Reynolds - www.flickr.com/photos/fritzfl...
Melissa McMasters - www.flickr.com/photos/cricket... www.flickr.com/photos/cricket...
Judy Gallagher -www.flickr.com/photos/5245005... www.flickr.com/photos/5245005...
Bob - www.flickr.com/photos/mullica...
Kerry Wixted - www.flickr.com/photos/kwixted...
David Carter-Tod - www.flickr.com/photos/9385408...
Lisa Zins - www.flickr.com/photos/lisazin... www.flickr.com/photos/lisazin...
Sammccants - commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Fi...
Andy - commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Fi...
Mcevan - commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Fi...
Pristurus - commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Fi...
supertiger - www.inaturalist.org/photos/61...
Judy Gallagher - www.inaturalist.org/photos/78... www.inaturalist.org/photos/10...
Melissa McMasters - www.inaturalist.org/photos/94... www.inaturalist.org/photos/25...
Richard Stovall - www.inaturalist.org/photos/21... www.inaturalist.org/photos/21... www.inaturalist.org/photos/21... www.inaturalist.org/photos/21... www.inaturalist.org/photos/21... www.inaturalist.org/photos/21...
Amanda Hurst - www.inaturalist.org/photos/22...
Shawn Taylor - www.inaturalist.org/photos/23... www.inaturalist.org/photos/23...
Rob John - www.inaturalist.org/photos/24...
akibono - freesound.org/people/akibono/... freesound.org/people/akibono/...
Research Credits:
bugguide.net/node/view/13126
texasinsects.tamu.edu/red-vel...
entnemdept.ifas.ufl.edu/creat...
eol.org/pages/600011/data
www.jstor.org/stable/1564347?...
www.gaentsoc.org/doi/abs/10.1...
link.springer.com/article/10....
onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/a...
books.google.com/books?id=C8x...
books.google.com/books?id=i9I...
books.google.com/books?id=YPv...
bugguide.net/node/view/159
Seems fair that the ones that can fly dont sting. Ive always thought that the combination of flying and stinging is OP and should be nerfed.
Except honey bees they are chill as fuck. All others super OPl
@Jmusic M over powered like MCs example "flying and stinging is OP"
Nerf wasps
@Jmusic M you
@Jmusic M it's a gaming term... OP items or characters get "nerfed" like the soft toys.
The sting feels like the fires of hell stabbing into your soul. Being a curious kid I picked up one of the smaller ones. I can only imagine what a larger one would feel like.
I was stung by a large “cowkiller” when I was a kid. That pain is something you will never forget!
When I was a kid, I poked one with a stick. I saw a big needle go in and out. This was no ant.
I've been stung by a velvet ant and I've been stung by scorpion. The velvet ant was definitely the worse of the two.
I was hospitalized by two while I was cleaning a pool. They stung me at the same time and I almost blacked out from the pain. My arm was extremely swollen and I begged them to cut that shit off
@@oldmech619 yeah but ants and wasps in the same family tree some like that
Found one under some forest litter when I was a kid, made the mistake of trying to pick it up. I must have been around 9 or 10 years old. Needless to say it was an insect color scheme and lesson I've never forgotten.
i feel your pain I did the same thing ...man that was painful ....
Did you die?
@@skullbones33rd13 yes.....but he lived
I did you but I used leather gloves and it still got me I'll never forget that
i did something similar. those things HURT . like iv broken bones before but DAMN.
Another thing to mention is just how ridiculously long their stingers are, something like nearly half their body length. Also just how hard their exoskeletons are making them nearly impossible to kill (unless on concrete with a hard shoe or object).
I tried beating one on concrete with a hammer and it didn't die and I put full force into it, all it did was hiss at me
@@MrJasenstewart97
Shoot the damn thing, if that fails try to get a priest so it can go back to Hell where it crawled from. If the priest dies repent..
Very true about tough to kill. Crush it on a hard surface, breaking it up, and parts of it will still move for a while.
Love the oc.
Step-n-smear is a tried n true tactic
I remember when I was a kid, everytime I see one, I sometimes try to step on them. After a successful stomp, they scurry away unharmed. They're very durable.
Everybody: Nope
Coyote Peterson: The sting can kill a cow you say? Time to test that on myself!
Cow:oh shi...
It sucks but only for an hour or so, like someone pushed a hot nail inside your body that gets hot with every heartbeat. You will use something not paper to pickthem up. Males are hyper aggresive near breeding ~Aug if you are near me :)
He already did it. Lol
"Will I die if I get stung?"
"Well no, but... Don't"
"..."
"Coyote no"
"........"
"Coyote no!"
@@Sheenifier Coyote yes!
COYOTE ALWAYS YES!
There is a lot of these guys in my back yard and like an idiot I was walking outside barefoot and accidentally stepped on one and it was way worst than being stung than a bald face hornet, European hornet and Yellow Jackets combined. The pain was non stop for about 25 minutes before it started to finally slowly subside. Since that day I never walk outside barefoot.
Worse than a bald faced hornet?
Yellow jacket stings and regular wasp stings ain't too bad...
Never got stung by anything else...
@@brainderp808 You could always use corn meal on ants. Since they can't digest it. It will end up killing them and the whole colony. Always works like a charm for me.
@@herculesballz1905 whats a corn meal?
What state this take place in? I’m in Oregon. Thanks!!
@@philipjohn8128 Ground up corn. You can find it in grocery stores.
The only wasp I like, they seem to go on their way without trying to sting you for minding your own business.
Don't accidentally step on one barefoot. 🤓🍻
@@alsaunders7805 I never did, but heard stories of how bad it is though.
@@deathjoker666 The people that made the video should have caught one and showed the stinger. It must coil inside the abdomen because it's at least half the insects body length. So whether it's venom is extremely potent or not it is being injected at least 3/8" deep. That's almost like a snakebite rather than a insect sting. 🤓🍻
@@alsaunders7805 i know !😬🥳
In Alabama there is no such thing as a good wasp.
Impressive in real life...they're quite beautiful with their brilliant red orange contrasted with deep black.
Would love to see one in real life!
We have them in eastern North Carolina
They can also squeek kinda loudly.
The red pandas of the insect world... and just as deadly.
Not uncommon to see in Virginia. Best to look but not touch.
The stings to these really, and I mean _REALLY_ suck. Had the misfortune of it happening twice. Once on the bottom of my bare foot in my own house, and once at work on my forearm. It's a penetrating, searing burn that produces a lot of involuntary muscle tension and is borderline unbearable for about half an hour, and it slowly tapers down over the next six or so hours until it's just an itch that lasts through the next day.
Both times it wasn't hard to find what nailed me; these neon-colored bastards run away FAST, while frantically squeaking as loudly as a rat. The one in my house I managed to kill, but they have very hard carapaces and are pretty tough to crunch.
I once saw one of them fight a large brownish red wasp over a rotten apple. That duel lasted for probably 2 or 3 minutes, and they both ended up dying. It was pretty crazy.
The description of the pain reminds me of the Bullet Ant.
@Sig-man Fraud Those things weren't even the half of it. Had large underground yellow jacket nests in the yard and every summer I'd inevitably get swarmed when riding over a new one with the mower. Get stung all over, then go back to torch the nest with gasoline later.
Another time put on some shorts with a scorpion inside and was stung in the nads. Smashed the fucker with a copy of Hitchhikers' Guide to the Galaxy.
Edit: Might also mention we had widow spiders all over, copper heads, and tons of bears. None of them were an issue but the bears were a pain in the ass because they'd get into the garbage and spread it all over the driveway.
I killed a giant ant-like bug with super hard exoskeleton. trying to flatten it as quickly as possible but it was still twitching even after a few stomps.
@@FuzedBox you live out in the boondox. I was raised in area like that. We've had snakes get into the house. Had copperheads chase our dogs. Country boys can survive country folks can survive.
First time I saw a red velvet ant was in my bed, shortly after moving to Texas in the early 1970s. It's squeaking, buzzing noise woke me. Didn't realize a half-asleep human could move so fast. Luckily I wasn't stung.
I had to look it up in an illustrated book because I'd never heard of it before. No wings, bright red, apparently a female.
Soon afterward I found a scorpion in my shoe.
Texas was fun back then. Lots more interesting critters than I see nowadays. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
These red velvet ants are so incredibly beautiful.
Looked even better on the bottom of my shoe!
I was stung by on as a child. My friend dared me to pick it up then convinced me it doesn't sting.... well it does and I've been stung by bees, paper wasp and red wasp, it hurts way more than any of those for sure.
Did you beat his ass after
I don't think that was your friend.
I saw one for the first time about 7 years ago when we were staying with some friends in Rossville, Georgia. I had no idea what it was, but thought it was pretty cool looking. I’m glad I didn’t mess with it!
And what makes this more interesting is that it was the first time seeing you ☺️
I don’t know if I’ve ever seen them and I’m from Chattanooga, which Rossville is a part of
Was it indoors or out? Love to hear detailed as this disturbs me!
@@Jaydoggish, it was outside walking by the bushes.
They are common in georgia and they are hard to kill.as in stepping on it wont kill it....
Nature can be so beautiful and scary at the same time.
I have been stung once when I was 5 years old. Every time I see one I go the other way. Once was enough. FYI, I'm 42 now. That is a sting you will never forget, and will not want a double portion.
Funny, I was 6 and am now 42. Same exact feeling.
I just found one for the 1st time and I screamed!
Screamed with joy?
When I was a little kid I seen one of these and was like “awhh how cute!” And picked it up. Seconds later the little bastard stung/bit me and it hurt really bad and made me cry 😅
Hold one down with a twig and it makes noises. They can move their stingers around a lot, like a needle coming out of them. The size of the actual stinging needle wowed me.
The stinger is not a round hollow one, it's flat knife-like and when they try to use it the poison is wiped onto the stinger. THEY FRIGGING HURT BAD, worse that an Portuguese Man-o_war sting.
@@roberthale8407 never been stung by one. I've seen a few man of wars while swimming in ocean but not sure they were the real Portuguese ones.
I grew up in the country. I got stung by one of those when I was about 11. I must admit it was pretty painful. I thought it was a very interesting ant at the time. Only later on did I find out it wasn't. (Edit: yes I caught the thing, and I couldn't believe the noise it was making)
Found one of these at Ft. Benning in Georgia. They called them cow ants. I could not kill it. I stomped and stomped on it and it just kept going.
If you just firmly step and scrape, it kills them easily.
Find a hard surface, step and spin usually does the trick... but you'd probably have to use your full weight while doing so for a guaranteed kill. Those things seem indestructible.
@@jayzenstyle Nah I just kinda firmly step and pull back, it's really not as bad as y'all are making it out to be. Their exoskeletons may be tougher than the average ant but their joints break apart just as easily.
@@MrRyumaru I'm usually a paranoid person, so I tend to use extreme methods just to be very sure. Yes I might be excessive but I can't help it. I don't like regretting a half-assed decision like I used to.
@@jayzenstyle Keep a sledgehammer on you at all times
Anyone else think these ants are adorable?
Ant Canada agrees
What you smoking?
As adorable as any creature that needs to take another life just to be born can be...
@@privatename5788
Life feeds on life.
That's the way of it, and always has been.
Your other option is starvation.
@@privatename5788 There are no sins in nature, only occurrences....
Thanks! I have occasionally encountered them over the years. Always solitary, always wingless, very active and moving rapidly.
I remember as a curious child, probably 4 or 5, if one of these could carry me, and I learned really quick that it can't carry me but it could make me jump and cry. I stepped on it barefoot. OUCH!!!
I found one of these in my yard in TN. I have lots of wasp in my yard also so this makes sense. You can totally tell by the color bright red/black that it is God's way if telling you it will sting.
i also live in tn, northeast of knoxville. i found a male on my porch one day but wasn't sure what it was. a couple weeks later i was mowing the yard and around the base of a tree right beside a field i saw a female scurrying away. after i was done i was sitting on my back porch and saw another female crawling towards me. i was surprised by it so i stepped on it. that's when i had to figure out what these things were because i didn't want my infant son finding one and possibly getting hurt. a few weeks later around the same tree i saw 4 more females. i haven't seen any since about august.
@@hoopsmccann639 They are medicaly harmless, but OMFG getting stung by one is an experience you will NEVER forget, even after half a century.
@@muninrob i hope to never find out what the sting feels like.
@@hoopsmccann639 It's about 2/3 of a tarantula hawk & about 1/10th of a bullet ant. (If it can't kill me, I'm not afraid of it - and have suffered accordingly)
I found one on the ground when I was eating lunch in Cottontown, TN. Definitely not one to fuck with. I picked it up with a lil piece of bread in my fingers and I seen the stinger. Legit the same length as the thorax. I didn't get stung but I figured it would be painful if I had.
I was really impressed when they did that episode of the Outer Limits; The Zanti Misfits.
That buzzing sound they made was such a charmer, wasn't it?
I’ll have to find that episode. I just got the complete series, and am enjoying it.
@@smithchasea The episode was in black and white so the Zanti Misfits, while looking a lot like extra large wingless red velvet "ants", there was no color which if they had the red color scheme would have made them even more menacing. I saw the episode alone at age ten and it certainly made an impression, as did all Outer Limits episodes then. I'd have nightmares but couldn't wait to be traumatized again next week. :)
@@wesleytillman9774 the good ol' days! 😆😗😆
@@illiadmcswain3956 Yes indeed!
Man, I remember finding one of these during a camping trip when I was a little kid. I thought it was a cute little red fuzzy ant. I picked it up and it stung me hard. I cried in the car for a good 30-60 min. It had been 3 1/2 decades before I ever learned what it actually was. Thanks Coyote Petersen
I found one at work bc it was making the weird stridulating noise. I wanted to pick it up but then something clicked in my head and I thought “hm, I should get a paper to handle it” AND BOY WAS I GLAD I DID
I doesn't just kill cows... It TOTALLY kills them!.
"No way!"
"Way!"
I found another one dead this morning 🤠so i better call my farmer's insurance cow killer group , so i 🤑 don't have to tack the total loss my self ,,
I just saw one for the first time today. i had no idea what it was but because of the colors and the size of it i knew it was probably something i shouldn’t mess with 😂 thanks for this video, it was very informative and i’m glad i know a little more about them now!
Interesting and engaging overview of the red velvet ant, which i had never heard of before until now. Thank you.
I just rescued one from a patio construction site of mine in Maryland. I got her to safety and continued work. I used to play with them as a kid and knew from looking them up in the library what they were.
Very beautiful creature.
👍🏻
I first read it as "locking them up in the library" and couldn't figure out how you were able to identify them from doing that.
When I was a kid we used to touch these with a stick to hear the sound they made. Only as an adult I was made aware of the sting that they could have inflicted. my luck since then has been abysmal.
Stepped on one and couldn't walk for 4 days without the major burning pain
I once saw one of these in my back yard. I always wondered what it was and I'm glad I didn't try to touch it.
I once saw one crawling to me at high speeds when i was younger, and i sprayed it with the garden hose.
The result was a much faster, hissing "ant" and a screaming me
I had been stung with this before i will never forget it back when i was in highschool, and it really hurts like i can't explain the pain.😥
Im surprised no one mentioned how hard and strong they are you can't just step on them to kill them
You shouldn't kill them anyway. They aren't pests and they kill pests. Would you rather have roaches??
@@UmatsuObossa well have you been stung by one, when you have kids running around the yard you'll definitely get rid of them too
These things are a life lesson for children in the South
LOL, I'm dead.
this is the first video of yours that i have seen. honest opinion thank you for making videos. the narrator is humorous and has an attracting voice. also i petted a velvet ant in los padres last week . i almost always interact with nature. i cant help it
Thank you so much! We're glad you enjoy the content. =) Also, velvet ants do totally look pet-able!
Luckily, you didn’t get stung!
Used to catch them in Splendora, TX as a kid in the mid to late 90s.
Got stung a few times but never stopped hunting them.
These are everywhere in my area of Oklahoma. We call them "cow ants". I honestly didn't know the males fly. Idk if I've ever seen a male. Also they are almost indestructible!
I was about to say the same thing! You can stomp a mudhole in them and they just keep on goin!
@@sniffles117 for sure. As a kid I took it as a challenge!🤣 you can cut one in half and the top half will keep going.
@@sniffles117 🤣 you brought back good memories with the "you can stomp a mud hole in them" my buddy and I was beat one up and we lost it. 5 minutes pass and my buddy screams like he's been shot. He stared ripping clothes off! We deserved the wrath of the cow ant that day!
Tried stomping g one on the patio didn't die tried impaling it by walking it with a steel bristle grill brush it didn't die It took a butane torch
@@nickbates2009 🤣 wasn't going to let it win!
I just love ALL of your videos! I love educational videos that are short and to the point. And FULL of interesting & educational facts! Your channel is completely under rated. Have a beautiful day! God Bless
Thank you so much!
I saw one when I was a little kid in the gravel of our driveway, I tried to catch it. It was under the rocks as I moved them it came out and bit me right on my thumb. I remember that pain, I also remember picking up a dead yellow jacket wasp and learning they can sting even when they are dead. I learned a lot as a child, but hairy red ants or dead bees, I learned DO NOT TOUCH.
I've actually been stung by one of those and the best way that I can describe the pain, is a really intense wasp sting that spreads slowly.
"you will be fine unless you live in Southern United States"
Me: Cries in Georgia
They are actually a type of wasp but wingless.
That's correct!
The first time I saw one of these as a kid, it scared the hell out of me because the thought of an ant bed of those things was horrifying. I felt so much better when I found out they were solitary
I discovered one of these while at work today. They are a surreal shade of blood red. Truly beautiful honestly
Omg I used to play with these things, I didn't know they could sting. Oh cool, male can't sting 50/50 chance that I could have got messed up. I remember that they looked really cool, never picked them up thankfully.
I've found 3 females in my life. Never seen a male that I know of. But the females actually ignore you, just like they have a plan and a chore to do... You have to be really mean and holding them at the same time I would think....
OMG I SAW ONE OF THOSE!!!
I see these things darting quickly across the sand dunes where I live. Such a beautiful insect.
I picked up one as a kid and held for five minutes straight then started crying and staring at the Little black and red wasp in my hand
These are extremely strong. It's a chore to kill them, they will survive like 20 casual stompings.
You gotta tear them apart with a shovel or something blunt instead of tryna smoosh them, especially if they are on dirt.
I love researching red velvet and panda ants . I just love the way you look.
I always find these little bastards in my yard and avoid them like the plague also the reason they got the name "cow killer" is on hot days they would sting cows and give them heart attacks
I always used to catch these things crossing the road when I used to practice playing baseball. They are very hard to kill.
Hermosa avispa nunca antes vista. Gracias amiguita!!! Jijiji que nuestra Madre Celestial la nueva Jerusalén proteja a esta especie y a todas las de este mundo! Porque es ella la que nos da la vida eterna...
Could you do dwarf whales
Thank you. My now grown kid had one of these years ago as a pet in a little terrarium. It would “sing”. I am going to share this video. Good thing it never stung her. She would on occasion gently touch it, so i want her to see this. Thank you. Intriguing little creature.
Lived in Northwestern Louisana for about a decade and ran across those along with a variety of other sizeable insects that I've seen nowhere else.....still remember how bad the fireant infestation of the late 70s to mid 80s was in the South. I traveled a good bit between Louisiana and Georgia and the huge ant hills were everywhere!
Stepped on one when I was a kid and I still remember that pain
I came across a red velvet ant a few years in my backyard. I live in Charlotte NC. It was making a clicking noise and that's how I discovered it. I had never seen 1 before and I was amazed to see such a vibrant insect in NC.
Grew up on the south east coast of VA. We didn't have any. Moved to south central VA and they are everywhere.
I remember petting one when I was little and listening to it squeak. Never got stung.
Seen one for the first time a few months ago and it's not only super fast but it's huge
Nothing like seeing some weird ant, picking it up in a Tupperware to Google lens it, see, 'red velvet ant' "cool, now I can look it up and find out about it, but first let's release ya..." then coming back in scrolling down, and seeing 'Cow killer' 'potent sting' and 'I was stung by... on purpose' and thinking, "Well! That could have gone way different!"
I have seen one, a few times in rural eastern Massachusetts, skedaddling around in the leaf litter. I found them fascinating and beautiful, and it never occurred to me to worry that they might sting. I'm glad I watched this video, so I don't have to find out the hard way.
These little buggers are so vocal. You poke them and they squeak and buzz.
I live in jersey snd recall my buddy being in awe saying out look to look a red velvet ant! He had seen one a few days ago but it scurried off before his girl could see but there it was walking down the sidewalk. They are very red, intriguingly red. Earths creatures and colors are incredible.
Used to find these in the desert Palmdale California, they never once stung me if play with them all the time
I had one of these in my house once, speeding across my bed, definitely thought it was an ant and tried to squish it between my thumb and index fingers, then it stung me and survived the squishing. After some searching and cussing, I recaptured it and looked it up. Pretty cool little things, never thought a wasp could be so small, gave it a mighty hucking off my balcony.
I was playing with one when I was about 10 and got stung , my Dad came to the rescue and put chewing tobacco on the sting , don't think it helped much or him telling me how dumb I was , he called them buffalo ants . I still played with them after that but used a stick , I was always fascinated when I found a yellow one .
Lmao at the chewing tobacco part. I pictured him just straight up spitting on you
Used to live in the suburbs around Memphis tn, these little guys used to show up everywhere.
I used to find these in SC as a kid. I loved to turn over rocks and see what bugs I could find. These guys were just so gorgeous!
Have only ever seen 1 here in the middle of NC. I didn't know what it was but instinctively knew not to pick it up. I'm glad it got away.
I found a few of these as a kid in Florida. They were so comical to me making those weird sounds and spraying. I had no clue how dangerous they were. Thank god i was never stung.
I have not seen one in Texas for about a year. I saw one a few years back in Waco, and last year I saw one just north of Houston. I am glad I did not try to touch one!
we have these in colorado, im just glad I didn't decide to pick one up before learning about their inch long stingers.
I live in Connecticut and just found one of these! Well my kids did…… we love learning about all creepy crawly things and normally will investigate before we touch them. Thankfully I’ve taught the littles to never touch ANYTHING unless we know what it is. The thought it was a normal fire ant. It’s now between 2 pieces of clear duct tape with a brown widow we found close by. The kiddos love this channel and learning about all the different creatures! Thank you!
Aww thank you so much! What an awesome find!! So glad this is a helpful resource on your adventures ❤️
Used to see those all the time growing up in Santa Fe NM. Haven't seen one in a very long time though...
I was stung by one of these as a child. One of if not the most painful things I've ever gone through.
I saw one in my grandma's backyard when I was a kid. Every summer, when my cousin from El Paso visited, we would catch frogs for the summer, and release them at the end. Thought "Oh that's a big ant" went to pick it up. Didn't even realize I had actually gotten stung, it happened to fast. I thought it was just burning to the touch. Mistakenly believed, for much longer than I care to admit, that was a fire ant as a result. My cousin was dying laughing. Used to tell people "Nu-uhn! You don't know what a fire ant is!" lol. Haven't seen another sense, funny enough.
Who did the narration? I love your voice, mystery woman
I live in Indianapolis, Indiana & I found one in my back yard & it did make an odd noise (this was also over 10 years ago)
Got stung by one a very long time ago... still remember it. Brutal pain.
No mention of the fact that these suckers are HARD to crush. I ground one into the yard and it just crawled out of the now grassless dirt like "TRY HARDER".
I was stung a couple years back and I could say that it was one of the most painful things I’ve ever experienced
Have these in my yard, various colors. Red, blue, orange, and purple. I have never seen more than 2 at one time, but I see them every summer.
I often see those Yellow ones in my job here in Brazil, every time i see one i release it in the grass, found they really pretty
I was stung by one of these in the arch of my foot when I was a kid and I literally had to use crutches for a week because my foot had swollen like a cantaloupe. Excruciatingly painful, the throbbing and heat it was irradiating was so intense I kept getting hot and cold flashes, nauseous, and borderline brought to tears.
This channel deserve more subs
I learned alot including what that weird looking red and black flying bug was and what it was likely doing.
Several years ago while in the yard with flip flops on , one of these got between the shoe and my foot. I was stung and it felt like my foot was on fire. A fully grown one at that.
We had those in Missouri when I was growing up I was stung and I ended up in the hospital I stepped on it barefoot.
I've been stung by two of these in my life.... And they are no joke 😲😁💯
Oof that sounds awful!
The worst part is that the things are darn near indestructible unless you have them on concrete. No matter how much you squish and grind them into the ground, they'll just squeak at you, dig themselves out, and walk away like nothing happened.
I caught one of these when I was about 12yo. If you hold it down with your finger, it will scream. But be careful bc its stinger coils up inside. It’s very long and it can search around like a monkey’s prehensile tail ! I know bc after it died, it cracked open and I saw the stinger coiled up. It stung me hard!!
Got stung by one of these in middle school. I was alone at the house after school just playing in the yard. Definitely hurts. Like a pinch and twist on a bad burn. The screech still haunts my dreams.
Always find these in the summertime, beautiful, fast and kinda scary
We always called these cow ants. Definitely learned early not to mess with them.