Olgui/biology

Ant jaws break speed record, propel insects into air,
biologists find

From the page: They found that the jaws, used to capture prey and to defend the ant from harm, accelerate at 100,000 times the force of gravity, with each jaw generating forces exceeding 300 times the insect's body weight.
"The acceleration is huge relative to the tiny mass of the mandibles. The mandibles are operating in the outer known limits in biology in terms of speed and acceleration."


"The jump's trajectory depends on the purpose of the mandible's strike. When the ant, either alone or in a group, approaches and strikes a large intruder with its jaws, it is simultaneously catapulted away from the trespasser, perhaps leaving behind a crippled victim in the process. In these so-called "bouncer defense" maneuvers, the trap-jaw ants clear, on average, 22.3 centimeters horizontally, but only 0.8 to 5.7 centimeters vertically.

→ In comparison, when the ant needs to escape quickly from an intruder, it strikes its jaws against the ground to fling itself into the air. In these "escape jumps," [image] the ant is jettisoned to heights of 6.1 to 8.3 centimeters, but just 3.1 centimeters horizontally."

→ image [100 times slower than real time] from the videos courtesy of Sheila Patek and collaborators, UC Berkeley; showing the "escape jump" of the Trap-jaw ant, Odontomachus bauri (species of ant native to Central and South America).



Click image to see the videos! really amazing!!