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 big 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 ants 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 Aslam duck
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 its doomed
to slide back into the jaws of death
the larval antlion maybe a heck of a lot
smaller than its namesake but it is
every bit the voracious predator