be deceptive. In animals, elastic mechanisms never add energy to the system; they amplify power in the sense that the energy is released more rapidly than it is stored. Possible benefits Ballistic systems are capable of power outputs that are significantly greater than that of the muscles associated with the actual movement. One prime example of this is tongue projection in salamanders. This decoupling of muscle work from body/limb work is a major benefit of elastic energy storage mechanisms. Another benefit resulting from this decoupling is decreased thermal dependence of ballistic movement. Deban and Lappin analyzed the prey capture behavior of toads (Bufo terrestris), which involves two types of movement: elastically powered, ballistic movement (mouth opening and tongue projection) and muscle-powered movement (tongue retraction and mouth closing). The toad feeding was observed across a range of temperatures (11–35 °C), and the kinematic, dynamic, and electromyographic variables were measured and analyzed. Over the 11–35 °C temperature range, the ballistic movements had Q10 values very close to 1 (Q10 = 0.99–1.25), signifying thermal independence and supporting the main hypothesis. The muscle-powered movements had a higher temperature coefficient (Q10 = 1.77–2.26), signifying thermal dependence. Another example of a thermally independent ballistic movement is tongue projection in chameleons. It was discovered that veiled chameleons (Chamaeleo calyptratus) were able to perform this high-performance tongue projection, and successful prey capture, across a wide range of temperatures (15 °C–35 °C). Anderson and Deban also found a contrast between thermal dependence of tongue projection and retraction (which is not elastically-powered). This further supports the hypothesis that the elastic recoil mechanism is responsible for the decreased thermal dependence of ballistic tongue projection. Examples Trap-jaw ants In trap-jaw ants (Odontomachus bauri) ballistic movement can be seen in their extremely rapid mandible strikes. The trap-jaw ants mandible has an average closing speed of 38.4 m/s and can produce forces that are 371-504 times the weight of the ant. The ants use these extremely powerful mandible strikes in several novel ways. When the ant attacks a larger animal it will strike the animal and at the same time use the force from the strike to propel itself away from the animal. When facing prey of similar size such as another ant the strike actually results in both animals being propelled away from each other. When the ant is trying to flee from a predator it will strike at the substrate and propel