It's Alive Animals

How a trap-jaw ant carries a baby

Outsized mouthparts aren’t just weapons

Odontomachus brunneus ant

Powerful jaws make the Odontomachus brunneus ant a skilled escape artist.

Alex Wild 

By Susan Milius

- More than 2 years ago

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Surprisingly gently. That’s how Odontomachus ants use their trap jaws to move soft, wriggly larvae around the nest. When ants hunt, though, those same jaws can smack shut at speeds exceeding 200 kilometers an hour.