These jaws are locked in place by an internal mechanism, and can snap shut on prey or objects when sensory hairs on the inside of the mandibles are touched.

Odontomachus ants can simply lock and snap their jaws again if one bite is not enough, or to cut off bits of larger food.

[citation needed] The ants were also observed to use their jaws as a catapult to eject intruders or fling themselves backwards to escape a threat.

[8] One study of Odontomachus bauri recorded peak speeds between 126 and 230 km/h (78 and 143 mph), with the jaws closing within just 130 microseconds on average.

[10] In the United States, O. haematodus was "recorded in Alabama back in 1956, but now researchers have officially confirmed that the species has spread across the Gulf Coast, at least as far east as Pensacola, Florida.