This lovely Golden Carpenter Ant (Camponotus sericeiventris, from Panama) didn't take kindly to my intrusion. Like many ants, she is capable of spraying formic acid from her abdomen, and did not hesitate to assume a defensive posture.
Paper wasps (Polistinae: Polybia emaciata) build a nest in the Panamanian rainforest.
I was very excited to see this trap-jaw ant (Odontomachus sp.) in Panama. These impressive ants have been clocked snapping their jaws shut in less than a millisecond, moving at speeds exceeding 100 miles per hour - the fastest-moving predatory appendages in the animal kingdom! In addition to providing excellent cutting power, these remarkable mandibles can be used to fling foes like a catapult with great force. The ants can even use them to flip themselves backwards as a defensive maneuver.
