Antlion’s Deathtrap | 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 er 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 maybe a heck of a lot
smaller than its namesake but it is
every bit the voracious predator