How voracious antlions engineer deadly sand traps – Science Magazine

By Emily HarwitzDec. 29, 2020 , 5:25 PM
Youd never know it by looking at the dragonflylike adult antlion, but its wingless larvaefingernail-size eating machines with huge, poison-filled jawsbuild deadly sand traps to capture tiny insects, including ants. Now, scientists know precisely how they do it: As the hapless prey falls into its pit, an antlion at the bottom uses its head to fling a blizzard of sand grains up the funnel-shaped slope, creating a minilandslide that pulls the unfortunate insect…

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