Giant trap-jaw ants have a venomous sting, and can open their jaw 180 degrees. Now North Carolina researchers say they are spreading across the US.

Giant leaps for antkind A single snap of the jaws of the tiny trap-jaw ant can propel the insect backward in leaps more than 3 inches high or 15 inches long.

Trap-jaw ant species are active hunters with venomous stings and jaws powerful enough to fling themselves through the air. According to new research, they are also spreading into new territory in ...

An aggressive type of trap-jaw ant with a mighty bite is gaining ground in the U.S. southeast, new research finds. IE 11 is not supported. For an optimal experience visit our site on another browser.

Mandible-powered escape jumps in trap-jaw ants increase survival rates during predator-prey encounters. PLOS ONE . Published online May 13, 2015. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0124871.

Trap-jaw ants have large mandibles that spring shut incredibly quickly, at speeds above 130 mph, generating a force 300 times greater than their body weight.

Trap-jaw ants don't just jump, a rarity among ants, they have actually been observed jumping in three distinct ways. Skip to main content Skip to main menu Skip to search Skip to footer.

For 60 years, scientists have known that one species of small, rust-colored ant known as Formica archboldi likes to decorate its nests with skulls, or head cases, of several kinds of trap-jaw ants.

The trap-jaw ant has a won notorious reputation in the insect kingdom for its super-strong, spring-loaded mandibles, which it uses to crush prey with ease and defend its nests.

Trap-jaw ants can slam their jaws together with extraordinary speed, with the tips of their mandibles racing at up to roughly 120 miles per hour. How they could perform such attacks, repeatedly ...

In fact, some species of trap-jaw ants can snap their jaws shut at speeds faster than 196.9 feet per second (60 meters per second), making it one of the fastest animal movements ever recorded, the ...

A member of the Myrmoteras genus of trap-jaw ants, with mandibles deployed. Steve Shattuck. Imagine you’re crawling along the forest floor, idly searching for a bit of fungus to chow down on ...