How Do Ants Use Their Lower Jaws?
WouterUntil now, it has been unclear what ants use their lower jaws for. It has been known that they can be used to jump, but the answer to the question, “how do ants use their lower jaws?” has remained unclear.
Researchers have studied ants’ jaws and have found that they are spring-loaded. These spring-loaded jaws allow the ant to bite and release elastic energy in one motion. The ant’s mandibles are also capable of launching the ant into the air.
These jaws have been dubbed dicondylic by researchers. Their shape is characterized by a basal, outer, and internal margin. They also have a masticatory margin, which is where the teeth meet the head.
Ants use their mandibles to carry food and young, as well as to attack prey. Ants also use their mandibles for grinding and dismembering their food. They also use their mandibles to carry liquids suspended in their mandibles.
When ants jump, their jaws are able to open to 180 degrees before snapping shut at 60 meters per second. The speed of the jaws is higher than the speed of the great white shark and spotted hyena.
A team of researchers has studied how trap-jaw ants use their jaws to escape from intruders. Researchers have used high-speed video cameras to study the movements of the ants’ jaws. They found that the ants’ jaws are capable of striking an intruder, then snapping back into place.
Researchers have also studied the ants’ spring-loaded mandibles. Unlike other arthropods, the ants’ mandibles have two spring mechanisms. These mechanisms reduce friction at the mandible joint and reduce the reinforcement needed to hold the mandible in place.
