Which animal has the fastest snapping jaw  ? If you're guessing a shark or perhaps a larger animal, you'll have to think smaller. The trapjaw ant, which lives in Central and South America, moves its mouth parts at 35 to 63 meters per second. Another way to think about this is that the ant's jaws close at 125 to 233 kilometers per hour. That's 2, 300 times faster than the blink of an eye. Scientists were able to measure the amazing jaw speed using highspeed video techniques. Sheila Patek, a biologist, says the key is that the jaws have a springy   system, which is critical in getting explosive   speeds. Consider a bow and arrow. If you try to throw an arrow with your arm, it won't go very far. If you use a bow, elastic energy stored in the bow is released almost instantly when you release the arrow with your finger or a latch. The combination of the springy bow and latch mechanism is what makes the arrow zoom through the air. Maybe even more amazing than how fast these ants grab food or even enemies is how they use this same energy to move. As the ant closes its jaws, it uses them to push off the ground--all faster than the eye can see without slow motion video. A snap of the jaw can send an ant up to 8.3 centimeters into the air. That's like someone who is 1.7 meters jumping 13 meters high! Not only can they quickly escape from enemies, but often a group of ants will start jumping all at once. It would be hard for their enemies to grab just one. People have suspected the ants used their jaws to jump for over a century, but could only prove it with today's modern video equipment. Which of the following may amaze the scientists most?
How high the ants can leap by using their jaws. How quickly the trapjaw ants can move on the ground. How wonderfully the springy system in the trapjaw ants' jaws works. How quickly the trapjaw ants can grab food or enemies.