Trap-jaw ants (Anochetus) · Anochetus
Anochetus taiwaniensis
Anochetus taiwaniensis
Lives on the forest floor and likes to catch smaller insects such as termites. It is a trap-jaw ant endemic to Taiwan and looks like a miniature Odontomachus, with the same excellent compound eyes and trap-jaw mandibles, but Anochetus opens its jaws even wider, to more than 180 degrees. Once open, the trigger hairs extend forward; touching them is like tripping a switch, and a nerve signal to the brain snaps the mandibles shut in an instant to seize the prey.
