David L. Hagen
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posted 22. August 2006 14:23
TRAP-JAW ANTS SET SPEED RECORD
Dr. Brian Fisher of the California Academy of Sciences finds Trap-jaw ants in Costa Rica, clocks mandibles at 145 miles per hour
A trap-jaw ant about to strike. (High-resolution images are available here.) SAN FRANCISCO (August 15, 2006) – A new record has just been set in the category of fastest self-powered strike—and it doesn’t belong to a cheetah, a lizard tongue, or a Nolan Ryan fast ball. According to new research by California Academy of Sciences entomologist Brian Fisher, trap-jaw ants in the species Odontomachus bauri can make all three of these speed demons seem sluggish by moving their mandibles at speeds of up to 64 meters per second, or 145 miles per hour. These remarkably rapid movements help them to capture prey, eject enemies, and catapult themselves to safety. Fisher’s findings, which will be published in the August 21 issue of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, will be posted online this week at www.pnas.org. High-resolution images are available here.
Full article,images & videos at: California Academy of Science
Trap-Jaw Ants set speed record
[ 22. August 2006, 14:31: Message edited by: David L. Hagen ]
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