Trap-jaw ant is a 3-star species card from the Iron Age. Trap-jaw ants snap their jaws shut faster than almost anything in nature.
Bonus by grade
| Grade | Copies needed | Bonus |
|---|---|---|
| Common | 0 | +25% first-strike damage |
| Uncommon | 2 | +45% first-strike damage |
| Rare | 5 | +75% first-strike damage |
| Epic | 10 | +112.5% first-strike damage |
| Legendary | 20 | +175% first-strike damage |
Duplicates raise the grade: Uncommon at 2, Rare at 5, Epic at 10, Legendary at 20.
Codex
- Common: Odontomachus jaws lock open like a spring trap.
- Uncommon: Tiny hairs trigger the snap when touched.
- Rare: The jaws close in less than a thousandth of a second.
- Epic: They can snap their jaws against the ground to launch themselves into the air.
- Legendary: They hunt termites, other ants and small soft-bodied insects.
Field notes are reviewed regularly. Spot something wrong? Tell us.
Field guide
| Size | Workers about 9–11 mm (measured on a Galapagos form) |
| Colony | Small; about 300 workers on average |
| Queens | Usually one queen per colony |
| Nest | Gaps in leaf litter or under wood; also in litter caught in palm crowns |
| Diet | Small soft-bodied invertebrates, termites, other ants and dead insects |
| Defence | Fast jaw strikes; the genus also has a sting, mainly used on prey |
| Active | Foragers work at all hours, usually hunting alone in leaf litter |
| Lifespan | Not well known |
| Where it lives | Central and South America, the Caribbean and the Galapagos, in moist forest and drier country |
Did you know?
- It can handle the chemical defences of Nasutitermes termite soldiers, which many ants avoid.
- Foragers use the pattern of the forest canopy overhead to find their way.
- Across the genus, jaws open to 180 degrees and are triggered by hairs below the mandibles.
Sources: antwiki.org, antwiki.org
Codex sets
- Ants of the metal ages: Leafcutter ant, Harvester ant, Weaver ant, Army ant, Trap-jaw ant, Carpenter ant, Fire ant, Banded sugar ant, Acrobat ant, Citronella ant, Silky ant, Tawny crazy ant, Blood-red ant, Inchman, Golden-tailed spiny ant, Black-headed sugar ant, Rock ant
Queen affinity
- Black garden ant: ×1 chance
- Meat ant: ×0.5 chance
- Bull ant: ×0.5 chance