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.
A tiny winged ant, possibly Crematogaster sp., at the mercury vapor light in Panama.
