Newly released video footage shows the world's fastest ants reaching top speeds of 120mph.
According to researchers, Saharan silver ants are able to hit speeds of one metre per second.
At full tilt, all six of the ant's legs leave the ground at once and they travel 108 times their body length per second.
Sarah Pfeffer, who studies animal behaviour at Ulm University in Germany, told The Guardian: “They fly through the air with no feet on the ground from stride to stride,” even at relatively slow speeds.
The ants evolved to move fast due to the Saharan sun's punishing temperatures, as they often scavenge for food in 60C heat.
They derive their name from the silver hairs coating their body that deflect the sun.
While the hairs offer some protection from the sun's brutal rays, the ants still need to move fast if they are to gather food before the heat kills them.
