Ants…and Antlions.

Yes, it’s all fun and whatnot for ants, until they cross paths with the Antlion. An extremely patient hunter, the antlion digs a spiralling hole, and waits. And waits. And Then: Whammo!

The French naturalist Jean-Henri Fabre wrote that “The Ant-lion makes a slanting funnel in the sand. Its victim, the Ant, slides down the slant and is then stoned, from the bottom of the funnel, by the hunter, who turns his neck into a catapult.”

The predatory actions of the larvae have attracted attention throughout history, and antlions have been mentioned in literature since classical times. {wikipedia}