The amazing Dracula ant, who possesses the most powerful jaws of the animal world



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Imagine a given bite with a speed of 500 km / h. For it is the power of the mandrakes of the ant Dracula, popular name of Mystrium camillae an insect living in Southeast Asia and Oceania. It's the fastest animal movement ever recorded on the planet. It is 5,000 times faster than a wink of the human eye.

"This high-speed attack acceleration that creates significant impact forces is necessary for its predatory and defensive behaviors," wrote entomologist Andrew Suarez, professor of animal biology's University of Illinois, in a study published in the journal Royal Society Open Science. "

" Even among the ants that amplify the reach of their jaws, the Dracula's are unique: instead of using three different parts for the spring, the latch and the arm of the more, these three elements are combined in the structure of the jaw, "says researcher Adrian Smith of the Natural Science Museum of North Carolina and North Carolina State University, co-author of the study.

According to specialists, Dracula ants use this sudden movement to attack arthropods, stun and crush them, dead insects are driven to the nest where they feed the larvae, and scientists have even prepared a video showing the animal in action.

Method

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Researchers used video cameras to identify and measure the motion of dracula. no one knew the speed of this movement before, "says researcher Fredrick Larabee of the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History (19659002)." We had to use incredibly fast cameras to capture the entire movement. Switch to x-rays to see the anatomy of these ants and better understand how the movement works. "

The researchers then created computer models to test the impact of each element of the mandibular structure of the animal on the composition of the movement." We concluded that we were facing the most movement known fast never made by an animal, "said Larabee.

Compared to other species of ants, the researchers understood that the Dracula had evolved differently, slightly changing the shape of the jaws ended

Scientists now want to see how these ants use these properties daily, that is, in their natural lives, for example, it is unclear exactly how they catch their prey and defend their nests, but it is thought that the extremely agile jaws play a fundamental role in this respect.

The Shrimp Punch

<img src = "https: //media.metrolatam.c om / 2018/12/12 / 104741863formiga3-51f5bb903381d115c9399a746efbc411-1200×0.jpg "alt =" the behavior of the Dracula ant is similar to that observed in mantis shrimp, a marine animal known to prey before slaughter.

This is a crustacean, also called tamarutaca, lobster-boxer, sea cucumber or shrimp. – You're a clown. One of its species, Odontodactylus scyllarus gives a "punch" reaching 80 kilometers at the hour.

Thus, the animal can, for example, break the shell of a crab – good dinner The crustacean inhabits the Indo-Pacific region, from Guam to East Africa.

Recently, also using high precision cameras, a group of scientists was able to badyze and measure this curious movement. The book was published by iScience in October

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