Two weeks ago I became the proud owner of a Odontomachus sp. colony with around 70 workers.
Wikipedia hat geschrieben:Commonly known as trap-jaw ants, species in Odontomachus have a pair of large, straight mandibles capable of opening 180 degrees. These jaws are locked in place, and can snap shut on prey or objects when trigger hairs on the jaw are touched. The mandibles are powerful and fast, giving the ant its common name. The mandibles either kill or maim the prey, allowing the ant to bring it back to the nest. Odontomachus can simply lock and snap its jaws again if one bite is not enough, or to cut off bits of larger food. It can use its jaws without locking them, for other tasks such as nest building and care of larva.
Trap jaw ants also hold the title of world's fastest bodypart and the fastest self powered strike: their jaws lock shut at 145 mph (233 km/h) with a force exerted which is over 300x their body weight . Put in perspective, this also means that this ant can strike 2300 times faster than the human eye can blink. It can use its powerful jaws to jump and escape from danger.
(Click on the images for a bigger version)
The colony with in the upper right corner the queen/
A worker in close-up.
