Trap-jaw Ant

Description:

About 2 cm. in length; metallic blue and red colors. " Trap-jaw ants of this genus have the fastest moving predatory appendages within the animal kingdom. One study of Odontomachus bauri recorded peak speeds of between 126–230 kilometres per hour (78–143 mph), with the jaws closing within just 130 microseconds on average. The peak force exerted was in the order of 300 times the body weight of the ant. The ants were also observed to use their jaws as a catapult to eject intruders or fling themselves backwards to escape a threat and stings 1 time." http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Odontomachu...

Habitat:

urban garden

Notes:

Sorry for the blurry photos. The subject was moving so fast.