Commonly known as trap-jaw ants, species in Odontomachus have a pair of large, straight mandibles capable of opening 180°. These jaws are locked in place by an internal mechanism, and can snap shut on prey or objects when sensory …

Feb 7, 2025 · Species of Odontomachus are large, often conspicuous ants that are mainly predaceous (Brown, 1976; Fisher & Smith, 2008). Like Anochetus, they are trap-jaw ants and can also use these specialised mandibles to jump away if they feel disturbed (Brown, 1976). They hunt other arthropods, often termites, but a few also tend hemipterans.

Insect mandibles are a pair of appendages near the insect's mouth, and the most anterior of the three pairs of oral appendages (the labrum is more anterior, but is a single fused structure). Their function is typically to grasp, crush, or cut the insect's …

Odontomachus brunneus is a species of ant in the subfamily Ponerinae, found in the southeastern United States, parts of Central America, and the West Indies. [citation needed] Ants of the genus Odontomachus are commonly called trap-jaw ants, due to the large, straight mandibles, which can be opened to 180 degrees and snapped shut on prey.

Jul 7, 2021 · Most research on the functional morphology and strike kinematics of trap-jaw ants has focused on the genus Odontomachus. In this genus, the mandibles are held open by a latch formed through interactions between the basal condyle of the mandibles and the mandible sockets (Gronenberg et al., 1993).

The trap-jaw ant (Odontomachus bauri), which lives in Central and South America, moves its mandibles (mouth parts) at 115 to 207 feet per second. Another way to think about this is that the...

May 15, 2015 · With a mighty snap, the trap-jaw ants can propel themselves out of the pit, thereby escaping from the awaiting grasp of the antlion. This suggests that the spring-loaded mandibles have been...

Oct 23, 2020 · Trap-jaws are highly modified, spring-loaded mandibles which snap shut with tremendous speed and power. They are primarily used for prey capture but in some species have a defensive defensive role.

The trap-jaw ant, specifically the Odontomachus bauri found in Central and South America, boasts the quickest jaw movement among ants. Its mandibles can move at speeds ranging from 115 to 207 feet per second, equivalent to 78 to 145 miles per hour.

Dec 18, 2018 · The mandibles of the Dracula ant, Mystrium camillae, are the fastest known moving animal appendages, snapping shut at speeds of up to 90 meters per second. Adrian Smith