Antlion Death Trap | National Geographic

this is a story about crafty fearsome
lions no not this kind of lion this kind
of lion you’re looking at the predatory
larvae of the ant lion this creature can
remain in the larval stage for up to
three years
like the bait cats this specimen is in
Africa although antlion species can be
found in warm regions around the world
these Lions have ferocious jaws only
these jaws are hollow allowing it to
suck the life juices out of what else is
or whatever it can trap the sand has to
be just right fine grain soft for this
crafty critter to rig a trap that will
make catching a meal a slam-dunk
the antlion makes like a steam shovel
lobbing the sand and pebbles out of the
pit he burrows into the bottom ready to
use those awesome choppers on whatever
bumbles into this ambush sure enough an
ant slips into his ditch it tries to
escape but the antlion larva doesn’t
give up that easily he pummels the ant
with sand just as it’s about to get out
of there
no matter what the ant does it’s doomed
to slide back into the jaws of death
the larval antlion may be a heck of a
lot smaller than its namesake but it is
every bit the voracious predator