Illinois: Knocking other creepy crawlies off the top of the list is the Dracula ant, which can snap its jaws at a speed of 324 kmph. The speed of the ant’s movement is 5,000 times faster than the blink of an eye.
The monicker ‘Dracula’ has been conferred on the ant due to its unusual feeding habit. They don’t consume solid food, but prey on larvae and drink their blood.
Andrew Suarez, Biology professor at the University of Illinois, who headed the research said, “The mandibles of the ant combines three different parts- the spring, latch and lever arm. The ants use this to smack their prey, stunning and smashing them against a tunnel wall or pushing them away. The ants then transport the prey back to the nest, the larvae feed on them.”
