Wednesday, November 17, 2010

What is that?

This post is dedicated to my friend Diane on Ceilydh.  I actually researched something…

The most obscure thing we’ve seen since we’ve been cruising is this tiny little fuzzy creature that resembles a furry ant.  Andy got a pretty good picture of one (hard to do as they’re really fast) so I decided to look further into it (really way beyond my usual behavior).

We thought they were called “Diablo Ants”…but after further research, it looks like they’re actually called Thistledown Velvet Ants.  Here’s a few things I found in some obscure websites…

Velvet Ants are actually flightless female wasps, and they can produce a painful sting. “

Males have wings but no stingers, while females have stingers but lack wings.”

I wont’ say they are abundant around here, but we have seen them more than once.  Picture a piece of fuzz blowing across the desert, only on a closer look do you find that fuzz had legs and is moving at a very rapid speed.
We thought it was cool….thought we would share.


3 comments:

Diane, Evan, Maia and Charlie the cat said...

Yay!! Thanks for looking that up. We love those little guys:)

Papa Mac said...

Thanks for sharing, that is neat.It's nice that you all have the time, and take the time to see things like that. I'm watching a squirrel eating a pine nut setting on a fence, the squirrel, I'm looking out the window. Not much of a comparison,but that's all I got today...Love ya..

Drunken Sailor Ranch said...

See, I knew I would learn from you. I logged in for my weekly school session... Thanks! Lol.

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