Terrifying tactics used by antlion insect predators to lure prey into their death traps are revealed in time-lapse footage captured by scientists
- Scientists filled tubs with beach sand containing both large and small grains
- Antlions move the larger grains out of the way using a spiral digging technique
- Smaller remaining grains will give way if any insect wanders into the trap
- The creature lies in wait ready to grab any prey in its hook-like mandibles
Antlions have shown scientists exactly how they construct sophisticated death traps that catch prey with an ‘avalanche effect’.
By using a spiral digging method, antlions separate and remove large grains of sand from small ones, creating a cone shaped trap lined only with the smaller sized grains.
The finer sand makes the ground unstable and creatures straying to the edge of the trap quickly lose their footing and slide in.
Like something from a horror movie, the antlion lies in wait at the bottom of the trap, ready to grab the prey in hook-like mandibles and drain its bodily fluids.
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To study how antlions build their traps, scientists filled tubs with beach sand containing a mixture of large and small grains and filmed the insects at work.
They were surprised by the extraordinary ability of antlions to eliminate the large grains from a central point that formed the trap they were making.
Professor Nigel Franks, from the University of Bristol, said: ‘It is almost like a conjuring trick – many more large grains are ejected than seems possible. ‘
Laboratory experiments showed how they employ a super-efficient spiral digging technique to separate and remove large sand grains. This image shows a still from the time lapse footage captured by researchers of the antlions behaviour
Antlions, one of the most nightmarish insect predators, perform a constructional ‘conjuring trick’ to build their deadly pit traps, scientists have discovered. This image shows an Antlion larva in its natural environment
The final cone-shaped trap is lined with unstable small grains which immediately give way under the feet of any small creature unfortunate enough to stray into it. This image shows an antlion trap in the wild
The team turned to computer simulations to learn more about the way antlions methodically dig in spiral patterns and set off miniature avalanches.
Professor Franks added: ‘This technique is a superbly efficient time-saving method that literally enables antlions to plough through a large volume of sand.’
Lining the pit traps with fine sand grains makes them extremely prone to avalanches, said the researchers, writing in the report.
‘Any prey item that ventures into the pit will ride an avalanche down to the deadly antlion at the bottom of the pit,’ said Professor Franks.
‘Such pits are an intriguing example of the ever-present force of natural selection that shapes biology.’
The full findings of the study were published in the journal Proceedings of the Royal Society B.
Like something from a horror movie, the antlion lies in wait at the bottom of the trap, ready to grab the prey in hook-like mandibles and drain its bodily fluids. This image shows a 20x close up of an antlion larva’s mandibles
