Mutillidae durable, the exoskeleton is also round, making it more difficult for predators to pierce it with attempted stings or bites. During all the trials that led to the fracture of a velvet ant’s exoskeleton, a total of 4 times, resulted in the death of that velvet ant within 24 hours. Thus aside from protection from predators, the exoskeleton provides a function maintaining moisture control. Male mutillids fly in search of females; after mating, the female enters a host insect nest, typically a ground-nesting bee or wasp burrow, and deposits one egg near each larva or pupa. Only a few species
Mutillidae 1 meter of the velvet ant it would begin contracting the organ. These contractions became more frequent as the predator got closer to the velvet ant so the shrew never attempted to attack the velvet ant. However, different scenarios with shrews have shown that the velvet ant would contract the organ after the shrew attacked it. Every time this occurred the shrew dropped the ant. The exoskeleton of the velvet ant is remarkably strong. When compared to the exoskeleton of a honeybee, the velvet ant’s required 11 times more force to crush using a force transducer. As well as being