Odontomachus Srilankan Ants Stock Photography

Seen up close, a large Odontomachus worker moving slowly across the leaf litter in a dipterocarp forest in the Philippines (or elsewhere) is spectacular. The bizarre head of species of this genus bears strong jaw-muscles, and large, elongate trap-jaws which are carried sideways when foraging, ready to snap shut as potential prey comes in touch with the long frontal trigger hairs. A powerful stinger at the apex of the abdomen completes the image. These ants resemble nothing so much as small alligators lost among the dimensions of the litter. (Sorger and Zettel 2011)