Trap-jaw ants bite with a force of over 300 times their own bodyweight, new high-speed digital images have shown. Their jaws spring shut at more than 100 km/h (62mph) - the fastest recorded speed at which an animal can move its predatory body parts, BBC TV reported.
These tiny creatures, native to Central and South America, do more with their vicious jaws than simply giving a nasty nip. By biting the ground, the ants hurl themselves upwards when danger looms.
Uninvited visitors to a nest of trap-jaw ants can expect a vicious response. The ants are named after their characteristically long jaws, which they use to hurl unfamiliar neighbours from their nests, cripple prey, or deliver a brutal bite to anything they consider a threat.
Employing the same high-speed imaging methods as those used to film flying bullets, an American research team now shows that the jaws can move at exceptional speeds. Peak velocities exceed 180km/h (110mph).