Ants with record bite speed

Central American ants with strong jaws like traps can bite with force 300 times their body weight. Their jaws closed at a speed of more than 100 km / hr - the record in the speed of moving animal parts of the animal world.

High-speed digital photos also show that these tiny creatures, living in Central and South America, also make more use of their horror jaws. By biting the ground, they can scoop themselves up when the danger comes close.

Uninvited visitors to this nest of fierce ants will have to receive a horrifying death. The ants are so named because they have a special set of jaws, which are used to scoop up strange people to their nests, bite their prey or to bite at anything they consider dangerous.

The ant's jaw is a very versatile tool (Photo: BBC)

Applying the high-tech photography method used to film flying bullets, the US team showed that the jaws of ants moved at terrifying speed. " This is the fastest body movement ever recorded," said lead researcher Sheila Patek at the University of California, USA. "Their jaws are quite short, but they create a terrible bite because they accelerate too fast."

The results also explain why ants sometimes jump into the air when they open their mouths. " If they bite something too hard or turn it back, the reaction will shoot them up ," said Andy Suarez at the University of Illinois.

This spring effect propels the ripper onto a lightning fast flight and a soft landing a few centimeters away. Such a chaotic trip seemed uncomfortable but the ants were too light to be hurt. In fact, Patek shows that sometimes ants fly voluntarily. By biting into hard ground, ants can push themselves into the air when necessary. This innovative way can help them get rid of predators like lizards. The act of jumping up there also distracts the enemy.

MT