Slashdot Mirror

← Back to Stories (view on slashdot.org)

Trap-Jaw Ants Break Speed Records With Jaws

Posted by ryuzaki0 on from the very-small-accelerometers dept.

Ant writes to tell us UC Berkeley News is reporting that a species of Ant native to Central and South America is setting speed records with their jaws. The trap-jaw ant has been clocked closing its mandibles at between 78 and 145 miles per hour, said to be the "fastest self-powered predatory strike in the animal kingdom". In addition to blinding speed the ants have also been taped using their jaws to fling themselves into the air.

10 of 166 comments (clear)

  1. The jaw is quicker than the eye by MECC · · Score: 5, Funny

    The average duration of a strike was a mere 0.13 milliseconds, or 2,300 times faster than the blink of an eye.The average duration of a strike was a mere 0.13 milliseconds, or 2,300 times faster than the blink of an eye.

    Notice that at no time do my jaws leave my head...

    --
    "We are all geniuses when we dream"
    - E.M. Cioran
    1. Re:The jaw is quicker than the eye by wiggles · · Score: 5, Funny

      Meh. This is nothing. My girlfriend can flap her jaws much faster than this.

    2. Re:The jaw is quicker than the eye by JesseL · · Score: 5, Funny

      There is still some debate as to whether a computer simulation of a woman can be called a "girlfriend".

      --
      "Prefiero morir de pie que vivir siempre arrodillado!"
  2. More on-topic than ever before by alx5000 · · Score: 5, Funny
    It's no wonder, then, that O. bauri ants can launch themselves into the air with a mere snap of their jaws, achieving heights up to 8.3 centimeters and horizontal distances up to 39.6 centimeters.
    I, for one, welcome our new [jaw-propelled] insect overlords!
    Perhaps less impressive is the ants' apparent inability to control the direction of their jumps, or even their orientation when landing.
    Or maybe not...
    --
    My 0.02 cents
  3. Doping Probe by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny

    Anybody check to see if there were banned substances in the ant?

  4. Jaw-jumping by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny

    So this is like rocket-jumping in Quake, right?

  5. Been watching Fox News channel again, I see? by krell · · Score: 5, Funny

    "welcome our insectoid jaw-flapping overlords"

    Don't tell me: Another Ann Coulter appearance on Hannity and Colmes last night?

    --
    Where were you when the voynix came?
    1. Re:Been watching Fox News channel again, I see? by bunions · · Score: 5, Funny

      > Don't tell me: Another Ann Coulter appearance on Hannity and Colmes last night?

      FLAWLESS VICTORY!!

      --
      there is no need to sign your posts. this isn't usenet. your username is right there above your post. stop it.
  6. White ants by hc5duke · · Score: 5, Funny
    1) Black ants can jump.

    Yes, but white ants have sound fundamentals, and they are deceptively fast. It has been reported that with advancements in genetic engineering, Chinese ants will soon be just as good.

  7. About these ants by G4from128k · · Score: 5, Informative

    Trap jaw ants do live in the wild in the southern U.S -- I've studied them in Austin Texas. They're not easy to find as the colonies are very small and the individuals tend to be quite reclusive. They are largish ants (about about 1 cm in length), dark in color, and tend to be fairly slow moving when foraging in leaf litter and under rocks. They walk around with their jaws cocked open and one or two pairs of trigger hairs in the mouth fire the jaw. As the article states a snap of the jaw impales the prey and then the ant stings it. If they fire the jaw on a solid object, the ant goes flying. Either way the jaw emits a loud 'snap' when triggered. Despite the sharp hair-trigger jaw and sting, these ants tend to fall into the "fierce in their nest, but timid in the wild" range of ant behavior.

    As amazing as the trap jaw design is, these ants are not unique. The trap jaw concept evolved at least twice in ants. Two collections of ant species on widely separated arms of the ant family tree use a trap jaw mechanism for capturing prey. They share the same jaw design, but have very different head shapes. Ants of genus Odontomachus (the ones in the video) have an odd-shaped lumpy cylindrical head. Those on the other side of the ant family tree (genus Daceton and Strumigenys) have a distinct heart-shaped head. Species of both types occur in the U.S. The Strumigenys that I've seen in the U.S. are very small (about 2 mm) and thrive on similarly tiny creatures found in rotting logs, leaf litter, etc.

    --
    Two wrongs don't make a right, but three lefts do.