Super-speed jaws hurl the ant in a far-off somersault. Scientists have figured out the work of the ant "jaw enhancer" The upper part of the ant

If in the relationship "predator-prey" the main evolutionary advantage of the animal is speed, then in insects everything is a little different. So, few potential victims have a chance to free themselves if they are grabbed by an ant. It's all about the mandibles, or mandibles - this is the name of the powerful jaws of these insects.

The Myrmoteras ants have evolved their own mandible mechanism.
Photo by Steve Shattuck.

Researchers have been observing the mechanism of ant jaws for a long time (and even make amazing discoveries related to them). Previously, it was found that different groups of ants with "trapping" jaws have independently evolved complex gripping systems with so-called latches and springs.

But, as it turned out, scientists know far from everything. A team from the National Museum of Natural History at the Smithsonian University has for the first time studied in detail the mandibles of formycin ants from the genus Myrmoteras. These insects are quite rare in the wild, and in laboratory conditions they are practically unable to survive.

Nevertheless, the researchers were able to observe several colonies of these ants for some time, and as a result made an amazing discovery: mandibles Myrmoteras work quite differently than all the other ants.

"This is a very interesting example of convergent evolution," said Fredrick Larabee, head of the research group. "The studied group developed their own mechanism completely independently of their relatives."

Ants Myrmoteras live in the tropics of Southeast Asia and feed mainly on springtails - tiny arthropods that, in case of danger, can hide very quickly by jumping like fleas. During hunting, ants keep their jaws open (the angle is approximately 280 degrees), which helps to maintain elastic energy. Opening and clenching the jaws takes literally a fraction of a second.

To understand exactly how long these "fractions of a second" last, biologists first studied insects under a microscope, and then combined several observational methods - microcomputed tomography, a high-speed camera that captures up to 50 thousand frames per second, and a three-dimensional imaging system that uses x-rays. snapshots to display the internal structures of the object. The result is a model of the movement of the mandibles, presented below.

According to calculations, one movement of the ant's mandible takes only about half a millisecond. That's 700 times faster than we blink. Maximum jaw movement speed Myrmoteras was 80 kilometers per hour. This does not hold a record among ants: in some individuals, the speed is twice as high.

However, according to the researchers, formycins do not need super speed to catch their lunch. "They just need to be faster than their prey; they're fast enough for springtails," Larabee explains.

According to him, the most interesting was not the speed of the movement of the mandibles, but the mechanism itself. Studying the results of the scan, the researchers found one feature: the structure of the joint of the lower jaw of ants Myrmoteras significantly different from others. They have a small "vane" at the back of their head that compresses before snap-capture, acting like a potential energy spring. Then the "trigger" muscle releases the jaw and with it all the energy is released.

Highlighted in blue, red and white are the muscles that control the lower jaw (marked in purple).

“It is curious that the arrangement of the muscles and the work of the jaws are completely different from other invader ants that have been studied. It seems that we are facing a completely unique evolution of this system,” Larabee concludes.

His team plans to continue studying these mechanisms. In particular, the authors are interested in how different systems correlate with the speed and efficiency of capturing victims.

A more detailed description of unusual ants and their mandibles is published in the Journal of Experimental Biology.

In biology, they also rank the very best: big, small, smart ... Recently, an ant got into one of these "charts" and set an absolute record, forever leaving behind all representatives of the animal world. Only now I had to introduce a somewhat unusual nomination: "Speed ​​of a body part."

According to a new study by California Academia of Sciences entomologist Brian L. Fisher, the creatures that can make the fastest movements are not leopards or tongue-catching chameleons at all, these are Latin American ants.

But not just any ants. Researcher talks about Odontomachus bauri. In this species, the jaws move with extraordinary speed. If translated into the usual dimensions, then it reaches 230 kilometers per hour! And this, according to the scientist, exceeds the capabilities of any other predators.

It is unlikely that anyone will ask something like: “What is such speed for?”. The point is clear, for what - to eat or grab more quickly. However, it turns out, not only for this, but also to move quickly, fleeing the threat.

For the first time, Fisher encountered the phenomenal abilities of ants in 2004. Then he collected seven species of these insects with an unusual feature - their jaws worked with "instant speed". Together with colleagues, Fisher began to study the behavior of these insects, using a camera to record their movements at a frequency of 50,000 frames per second.

... will not be in time (photo from myrmecos.net).

What was Fisher's surprise when it turned out that the duration of the bite of such an ant is only 0.13 milliseconds. How it happens - see (MOV file, 207 kilobytes; just keep in mind, the playback speed is slowed down by 1667 times). For comparison, a person blinks two thousand (!) times slower ...

Jaw device Odontomachus bauri can be compared to a trap. Before attacking or running away, the ant opens them 180 degrees and holds them in this position thanks to a pair of powerful opposing muscles. At the right moment, some muscles relax, and due to those that were in tension, the jaws “snap” in an instant.

Such a high-speed invention of nature turned out to be a multifunctional device that allows not only to instantly grab a victim or kill an enemy. These "sharp movements" are due to the contraction of muscles so powerful that their energy is enough to throw (or throw) themselves at a decent distance.

The red dots on the map show the main places of settlement Odontomachus bauri(illustration from antweb.org).

To be transported in such an unusual way, the ant only needs to abruptly push off the surface and catapult away from danger. How the ant will fly further will already depend on its “intentions”. It is possible both in length - up to 39.6 centimeters, and in height - up to 8.3 centimeters. On a scale familiar to our world, this would be the same as if a person jumped 13.5 meters up and 40 meters into the distance!

These two directions are actually two defense strategies for ants. In the first case, the ant abruptly closes its jaws, striking them at a threatening object, while simultaneously pushing away from it (see video , MOV, 2.13 megabytes; slowed down by 100 times).

So the ant is repelled from the glass plate. If you do not pay attention to the second frame, where the ant strikes the plate with its jaws, then you may get the impression that the ant is simply “starting off” and flying somewhere (photo by S. N. Patek, J. E. Baio, B. L. Fisher, A. V. Suarez).

To jump up Odontomachus bauri does the same, only pushing off the ground - and soars up for about 0.27 seconds (see video; MOV, 1.28 megabytes; slowed down by 100 times). This is quite enough to escape from some hungry lizard.

In addition to such amazing abilities, these insects also have other, more well-known ant skills. Of course, they also have group behavior.

Of course, it is easy to guess how dangerous these insects are during a collective attack.

The experiment is carried out in a narrow chamber with a transparent wall. About "jumping" Odontomachus bauri judge for yourself (photo by S. N. Patek, J. E. Baio, B. L. Fisher, A. V. Suarez).

However, ants often use their abilities not only to attack, but simply to scare a predator. Oddly enough, this is done with the help of the same jumps: if a whole group of ants runs away, bouncing, then this, for sure, should look shocking. Fisher called this behavior the “popcorn effect” (although “fast” ants are probably not as edible as

Ants are insects that do not recognize loneliness and live in colonies. An anthill is an underground dwelling with a large number of chambers. They are connected to each other by passages. Above the nest, they build an ant heap to grow their offspring. They may also take up residence in rotten wood and stump, which they landscape for comfortable living.

Video about ants:

Ant life: a description of the members of the colony

The inhabitants of the ant house are divided into four groups. They are divided into:

  • Females (wombs), which are the founders of any anthill. Their main function is to lay eggs. In the ant colony there is only one female queen, her ants conscientiously guard, feed and cherish;
  • Males that die some time after mating. Their function is to continue the genus;
  • Working ants (foragers), who are obliged to take care of all family members, deliver food and protect their homes from attacks by enemies;
  • Larvae - future offspring.

Interesting facts about ants:

oral apparatus

Ants have chewing mouthparts. It consists of:

  • upper lip (labrum);
  • Lower lip (labium);
  • Mandible (jaws).

The type of ants determines which upper (mandibles) and lower (maxillas) jaws:

REFERENCE: The jaws can work independently even if the mouth is closed. The lower lip has a tongue that serves as a taste organ and is used by insects to clean their bodies.

  • Large or small;
  • Dull or very sharp;
  • Whether there are teeth or not;
  • Interlocking or overlapping.

What do ants eat?

Ants are omnivorous insects. Their food preferences are determined by their species and habitat. In the warm season, food is supplied by foragers every day. With the onset of cold weather, everything changes: most species of the ant family do not hibernate, so in the autumn they stock up on food to the eyeballs. This will allow them to easily survive the cold period.

REFERENCE: Insects drag almost everything that they meet along the way into their anthill.

Ant food depending on their species

In the anthill, food is distributed among the inhabitants. Food is distributed as follows:

  • The larvae get protein food: the remains of small insects, eggs of various pests;

REFERENCE: The larvae of domestic ants (Pharaoh) often get food from the master's table (meat, eggs, cottage cheese, cheese), and the growing offspring do not disdain to eat Prussian cockroaches.

  • To maintain strength, worker ants need to eat carbohydrate food, rich in energy and highly digestible. They feed on the pulp of fruits and berries, seeds, nuts, roots and plant sap. If they live in a man's house, they feast on sugar and honey. Desserts of ants include honeydew (the juice of a plant that it secretes if there are sudden changes in temperature) and honeydew (sugar milk of aphids);
  • The basis of the diet of the uterus is protein. Food for her is delivered in a chewed form.

REFERENCE: The diet of forest ants consists of almost 60% honeydew and dew. They carefully guard their dairy cow, breed it, and take it to the anthill for wintering.

How often do they eat or what do they eat in winter?

Ants are quite mobile and agile insects. They have something like a brain, because they are able to lead a social life. They feed several times a day. Worker ants are engaged in the search for and delivery of food to the dwelling, which they also eat. Those in the anthill eat the collected supplies.

REFERENCE: These insects can exist for a long period without food in the winter, but only if they are supercooled.

Ants that live in the north of Russia are in suspended animation for almost 9 months without food. Most species do not hibernate during the winter period and continue to be active. They feed on pre-collected stocks.

Examples of narrow food specialization

Some species of these insects are real gourmets and prefer some of their favorite dishes instead of a varied diet:

  • Leaf cutters store woody leaves, which they chew in advance to the state of gruel. A fungus develops quite quickly in it, leaf cutters feed on it. They do not swallow the leaves, because their stomachs are tender enough for coarse fibre;
  • Centromyrmexes eat only termites, not eating the rest of the food;
  • Each of the ponerin subfamily feeds on its favorite insect pest;
  • Draculas drink the juice of their own larvae, which do not suffer at all from such actions. Adults catch and stock up on large spiders, centipedes, and other insects. They make up the diet of the growing offspring;
  • Woodworms love resin, which is a source of carbohydrates. It stands out near the tree where the bark is damaged;
  • Reapers prefer the seeds of withered plants. In order for them to be perfectly assimilated, with the help of their strong jaws they grind them to the state of gruel.

What do the larvae eat?

The larvae are divided into two types:

  • Able to eat;
  • Needing to be fed.

The first species feeds on dead insects and other protein foods. The second species feeds on semi-digested food from the esophagus of adults.

Ants are extraordinary creatures. Energetic workers, bringing great benefits to forest areas: they loosen the soil and destroy insect pests. They are capable of causing serious damage to gardeners and gardeners, as they feed on seedlings, leaves and ripe root crops in household plots, as well as food stocks in a person’s house.

Myrmoteras ant

Adrian Smith / YouTube

American scientists have studied the mechanism of the jaws of ants from the genus Mirmoteras. To do this, they videotaped representatives of two colonies of myrmotheras during the capture of food using mandibles and studied their internal and external structure. Scientists have found that myrmotheras can close their jaws in 0.62 milliseconds, and the impact amplification mechanism is unique among its kind. Article published in the journal Journal of Experimental Biology.

Speed ​​is one of the fundamental aspects of survival in the animal world, helping both to get food and escape from the enemy. Speed ​​is most often limited by the muscular potential of the limbs, however, in some animals, special mechanisms have developed in the process of evolution to increase strength. For example, amplification mechanisms allow mantis shrimp to have very powerful legs that help them move quickly and attack the enemy effectively. Some species of ants use such mechanisms to increase the strength of their outer mandibles (mandibles), allowing them to capture prey or hide from the enemy. Among the four known genera of ants with such a mechanism, the genus Myrmotheras (lat. Myrmoteras), which lives in Southeast Asia.

The authors of the new work studied the speed of movement and the muscular mechanism responsible for the strengthening of the mandibles of myrmoteras ants. The movements of the mandibles during capture were filmed using a high-speed video camera shooting at a speed of 50 thousand frames per second, and the internal and external structure of the mandible amplification mechanism was studied using computed microtomography (x-ray microtomography) and a stereo microscope post mortem.

An analysis of the speed of movement of the mandibles showed that in a calm state, myrmotheras hold their jaws open at 280 degrees, and when capturing prey, they close them, on average, in 0.62 milliseconds, and the force-to-mass ratio of their mandibles is 21 kW/kg. These indicators are almost two times less than that of another genus of ants with "reinforced" mandibles (Odontomachus), however, according to scientists, such strength and speed of myrmotheras is enough to hunt effectively, and the speed and strength itself is explained by the fact that their mandibles are longer and thinner than those of Odontomachus.

Analysis of the internal and external morphology of the mandibles in the closed and open state helped to reveal the structure of the amplification mechanism, as well as its operation. So, the mandible of an ant is attached to the muscular structure of the head with the help of an apodem - a chitinous cover. There are two groups responsible for the movements of the mandibles: opening and closing. The closing muscle group occupies a quarter of the entire volume of the ant's head, and is divided into two parts: the "fast" closing muscle, consisting of frequently contracting muscle tissues, and the "slow" muscle tissue, contracting more slowly.


The structure of the head of the myrmoteras ant. The “slow” closing muscle is marked in red, the “fast” muscle in blue, the opening muscle in white, and the apodemus in gold. Purple indicates the mandible

Larabee et al. / Journal of Experimental Biology 2017

Scientists have found that a spring mechanism located at the back of the ant's head is responsible for the amplification mechanism. Slowly contracting muscle tissues "charge" the spring mechanism, and often contracting - start it. Such a complex mandible strengthening mechanism is unique: other representatives of similar ant species mainly have non-spring mechanisms consisting of only two separate muscles - closing and opening.

You can read about how other ants, odontomachus, use mandibles to escape from enemies in ours.

Elizabeth Ivtushok

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