Antlion facts: Scariness in the Sand | Animal Fact Files

[@Col28]

3:27 "The adults emerge and let loose." What a way to start adult life. Cool bugs! Thanks for the video.

[@human_isomer]

diaper factories' biggest nightmare... ;)

[@b-e-a-r6166]

Sounds like getting ready for work in the morning. Haha

[@jeffjackson9679]

I'll never complain about being constipated again.

[@jackkraken3888]

Adults:"Life is shit, literally!"

[@haydenash2690]

When I was a kid used to put ants in these guys pitfalls and watch them eat, I was such an evil child lol. Loved the video!

[@AnimalFactFiles]

I think we all did these kinds of strange things as kids as a way of exploring our world. Thanks so much for watching! Glad you enjoyed it. =)

[@austintandoc8187]

Hayden Ash me too I always used to pick any ant and just wait for them to sink while the antlion eats it.

[@loafbread4113]

SAME

[@donovans.5241]

Same here. Lol

[@gildedvulture7965]

Me too, brah. I also liked to throw insects into grass spider webs. Ah, childhood 😈

[@ThatWeirdGuyYouKnow]

It looks like that bug from Ceti Alpha 5 that Khan put in Chekhov’s ear in Star Trek 2. I still have the nightmares.

[@williammielenz3752]

Reminds me of the Sand Kings from the Outer Limits.

[@o0o-jd-o0o95]

That weird guy you know I just made that comment up above haha I was waiting for khan to pop out and grill me about why I'm there lol

[@adrianfytr35]

Duuuuude every single time I see an ant lion that movie pops in my head lol.

[@cherryvoid5238]

Omg I had so much trama from that movie I didn't sleep right for... a long time. It was the first thing I thought when I saw this bug's body 😣

[@xXFluffers]

Antlions are completely harmless to humans, I spent my whole childhood going to river sandbars to swim and play and these guys were EXTREMELY common, but every time you get anywhere near one the antlions scurry underground and are very hard to catch or even see. They have no interest in messing with things much bigger than an ant.

[@northernalpine4350]

I always just use a thin stick to tap on the middle and lure them out and when they bite down on the stick i scoop them up with my hand and put them in a container

[@frontier9142]

Easiest way to bring them to the surface I found was sprinkle a little nearby sand only a few grains at a time, they think it's something stuck in their little Doodle hole and come to the surface to eat it. Then you just scoop them up..

[@angryboi595]

I put one on my finger yesterday and he just looked at me

[@Mr-Ad-196]

@@angryboi595 that antlion probably like "bruh.......I can't possibly eat this" .

[@bryanp4827]

You're talking about soldier crabs Einstein! OMFG! 😂🤣🤣😅😆😆😆😅😂😂😂😂🤣😅😆

[@eunaekim9216]

So it knows Poison Fang, Dig, and possibly Bug Bite. Pretty good for a Bug type!

[@dismo021]

Forgot the passive ability sandtrap

[@kh7955]

I love your Pokemon references just so you know...keep it up! Btw the best Pokemon is a bug type, Scyther. Literally just my opinion though

[@Cellmate]

It also knows sand attack.

[@Sonneratia_Polaris]

Fun fact! The evolution of Flygon is inspired from the Antlion! Trapinch - Antlion with Arena Trap Vibrava - Nymph? Flygon - mature form of Antlion

[@AnthonyRamirez-os5wg]

I got a shiny that hatched from a 10km egg and it knew Sand tomb and rest 😂

[@hi_tech_reptiles]

Boa Constrictors have the same common and scientific name. The "True Red Tail" Boas are Boa Constrictor Constrictor, while the Common Boas are Boa Constrictor Imperator. There's others like Occidentalis but otherwise there's many localities and subspecies, like Cloud Boas etc. Argentine are one of my favorite "Wild Type" localities, as opposed to morphs.

[@Its_Me_Romano]

You also have boa Constrictor Honduras

[@ultimaterescreen]

uuuhhhhh......what?

[@cheezemonkeyeater]

Alternate title - Ant Lions: I don't poop for my entire childhood.

[@qontoh2s872]

I'm an amateur entomologist. About ten years ago I was at my job at a hardware store. My boss knew I was called the Bug Guy, he comes to me one day and says a customer is complaining about cone shaped holes in her garden, I said she has antlions, nothing to worry about. He comes back about and hour later and says he actually looked them up, and the customer confirmed they were antlions. He then says how the hell did you know that? I smiled and said I read a lot... I've also kept a few in jars to watch them.

[@nippolopolis4431]

Wow, what an entertaining fictional story!

[@qontoh2s872]

@@nippolopolis4431 Sorry, it's true. I've been keeping insects and arachnids for pets since I was a kid. Currently have three tarantulas, an isopod (woodlice) colony, two species of millipede and a very ill tempered emperor scorpion. By the way, if you want to keep an antlion I suggest a one gallon jar with about 3" of sandy soil and a screen lid, to keep any ants not eaten from escaping. I also recommend letting them go around late August/early September, so they can hibernate over the winter.

[@isaiahwingfield]

Does your emperor scorpion have a name?

[@o0o-jd-o0o95]

I was waiting for Khan to pop out and talk about how it's the only indigenous lifeform left on this hell of a planet. While he also tries to grill me about why I'm there and then letting them Burrow into my ear then take over my brain

[@seanryan3020]

These are... pets.

[@shirehorse7]

That moment when you realize that the Sand Maggots in Diablo 2 are actually ant lions but are called maggots instead.

[@demonlordotrt754]

Well kinda thay origanaly where looked at as termites but made to look more like antlions for how terrifying thay do look at least more so then termites

[@karenelizabeth1590]

In some games they just literally called them Antlion. It became a trope of its own

[@nicky2times2times10]

Without a doubt some of my favorite insects! Catch these all day long as a kid.

[@disciple2742]

I had one of these as a pet when i was little. Dirt in a big jar, feed em ants.

[@spicymeatballs2thespicening]

I love that lol

[@keatonblackman472]

Antlion A.K.A. The Doodlebug

[@lolly4559]

Doodlebug, doodlebug, come out your den!!!! You must be from s.e. KY

[@jacoballred]

Well, there's plenty of ant lion insects around in my dirt floor garage. Doodle bugs are small and harmless. But I don't think there's any gigantic man eating alien ant lion insects about the desert. Only in Star Wars the movie.

[@rajbhattacharya4427]

Thanks. Now I know my new rap name. Bish, call me antlion Cause I'm a lion in disguise Moving booty first Remove the dirt And then I hide. Trapping Like I'm trapping in the mud See you falling In your ear I'm like was up!

[@nickdirienzo2849]

Underrated comment bro. Good on ya!

[@lankymaccrazyhair264]

I mean, would YOU want to poop when you can only walk backwards?

[@spudbud124]

Since the Trappinch line in Pokemon is based off of these, YOU CANNOT CONVINCE ME NOW THAT AS SOON AS THEY EVOLVE, FLYGON DONT "LET LOSE." WITH THEIR POOP.

[@christopher.d.parks.5]

I used to catch these when I was a wee lad

[@ashleylambson]

Lol,same an still do sometimes

[@Allsfairinloveandwarr]

I was obsessed with these guys when I was little, seeing them made me feel as if I was looking at a tiny dinosaur.

[@mistygomez8570]

We have a ton in our barn! We leave them alone and they vibe eating bugs

[@godlessandlovingit]

having played all of Final Fantasy whilst growing up, I was today years old when I learned that Antlions were actually real!!

[@knightshade6232]

BEST CHILDHOOD ever... catching antlion using my sister's hair & an ant tied at the end of the strand it... i also put the ant lion inside a dead spiders body to enable it to prank my friends as it reanimates

[@googlewolly]

At least they're not like the ones in Half-Life.

[@saverofthehumens]

Poor Lazlo.. the finest mind of his generation.. *Stepped on some sand.*

[@carstan62]

My first exposure to antlions was through video games such as final fantasy, at which point I assumed they were some kind of mythological creature (probably due to the greatly exaggerated size). I think I was in High School when I found out they were a real animal, but for some reason I just assumed they only lived in deserts. Pretty much every summer we have to deal with a lot of ants at my house. Last spring I was seeing a lot of anthills around and was dreading that it seemed like the ants were going to be even worse that year. In addition to the anthills I was also seeing these pits in the dirt around my patio and thought they were also part of the extensive ant tunnels. However, summer came and didn't bring that many ants with it, so I got curious and decided to actually investigate the pits. Upon seeing the fine dirt being thrown out of one of the pits it suddenly clicked in my mind and a quick google search confirmed that there were in fact antlions in my area. It still blows my mind that something I put in the same category of my mind as unicorns and dragons as a kid live all around my house, protecting me from an ant invasion.

[@tinyGrim1]

Interesting, the wings are really pretty. TY for cool video

[@AnimalFactFiles]

Thanks for watching!

[@loriorrick7313]

Great video! We have these and we have fun dropping insects in the pit. By the way, your voice sounds like the Ice Age Farmer.

[@lavenderloco]

"Mollie Mollie kom uit jou ma en jou pa eet jam brood" me singing this while putting a stick in that hole swirling it around when it comes out every time being amazed hahaha

[@Knapweed]

A real-life Sarlacc in miniature.

[@yessyvaldez5713]

We would play with them when we were little and I’ve always called them “toritos” in spanish

[@spicymeatballs2thespicening]

How would you play with them

[@yessyvaldez5713]

Put sand in they’re little traps and then when they came up we would dig em up and just watch them. Or put ants in their little traps and watch them take the ants. We were kids so that was entertaining for us

[@orion4622]

@@yessyvaldez5713 i would catch them and feed em to my chicke

[@seanescalera4113]

We used to call them “coconitas” didn’t know their name was hormiga leon till now.

[@yessyvaldez5713]

@@seanescalera4113 yea me neither haha

[@cody5535]

The first time I every learned about antlions was from the game Golden Sun, where they appear as an enemy in a desert; a few years later I found out they were actually real when I found them in my backyard! I used to tease them out from hiding by lightly brushing a pine-needle about in the pit in a frantic manner to imitate an ant. It was always funny to watch the antlion burst out just to find something much bigger than an ant!

[@scottyd2262]

Same !

[@glenngriffon8032]

There's something cosmically horrifying about that. Imagine you order a pizza, hear a knock at the door and someone say "pizza delivery", and when you open the door you just see a massive, indescribably big eye staring straight into your soul and there's no pizza. Just an entity a thousand times bigger than god knocking on your door to mess with you.

[@jadenl629]

Awesome video! These antlion pits are so cool!🤩

[@nickdirienzo2849]

We all know our younger selves were full of shit. Antlions just take it to a more literal conclusion.

[@cup6024]

As soon as I read this the narrator mentioned that

[@sixfootben4892]

Pretty cool. When I was a kid used to feed them ants. Reminds of the pit monster in return of the jedi. I had no idea that they were larva.

[@brianhitch360]

Living in my basement bedroom as a teen I had some of these guys in an open terrarium. Any creepy crawller that came across me while I slept ended up in the sarlacc pit.

[@toki89666]

A real life Sarlaac from Tatooine. Only much smaller.

[@joegarza49]

You made a great video about antlions and their life cycle.

[@The_Vanished]

Thank you, now I don't have to go around thinking the JRPG version of these is the only information I'll know about them

[@zarkruzam3090]

That thing reminds me of the ear creature from Star Trek "Wrath of Khan"

[@catmum1019]

Hi I hope all's well with everyone ✌️🤠🇬🇧

[@goatfromhell666]

That's the bug Kahn stuck in Sulu's ear on the Wrath of Kahn

[@esotericmissionary]

I used to catch the larvae all the time when I was a kid, just fascinated by them. I'm kinda surprised you didn't show its round silk egg sack, which I've found at the bottom of the pit one a few times. (You can figure out how I found out it was an egg sack.) I also never knew they grew into flying bugs. Color me surprised.

[@discotech6178]

Ant lions in real life: We chill humans Ant lions in terraria: So you have chosen death

[@scumbaggaming9418]

Huh... after playing Terraria and seeing these everywhere in the desert... yeah no these things are scary

[@toukofukawa1166]

Hahaha I clicked on this video because of Terraria too, fuck those things dude

[@gingerelvira6587]

I first discovered these creatures in 3rd grade..along the side of the school where nothing grows, it's powdery dry soil where many many of the little funnels are scattered around, one day myself & a few other kids were checking out who lives there. Freaky & tiny, ant lyon's at the center/base of each funnel ! We didn't know the names then..thanks to this poster & KZbin I know know. thx.

[@DKforever24]

I am surprised you didn't mention how they inspired the Sarlacc Pit from Star Wars and the Trappinch line in Pokemon

[@AdeptusCustodeCiff]

a song we used to do as kids was '' doodle bug doodle bug round and round doodle bug doodle bug come out the ground'' you'd spin a small stick in their burrow while singing this and they would pop up

[@justnikyta6455]

As a child i used to go in ny yard and cacht this little fellas,we used to call them "chachitos" in Spanish (the translation is basically piggies) ,i used to live in a very dry and small town so they were extremely common and since I knew the perfect way to always catch one I would grab as many as I could and then feed them ants. Then when I was bored I put them back in the yard.

[@leonhaley5920]

they actually had these in star trek wrath of khan they went in the ear and controlled people (i know they dont accually do that )you should look at the simularity of it

[@michellel564]

We called these doodle bugs lol my Granny use to say to sing "doodle bug doodle bug ya house is on fire!!" well scream that n it comes out! I think the vibration of the screaming made them come out cuz I could just scream at it n it would come out. There soft little dudes too. Is that weird? And the Dobson fly is a grampus. Good fish bait but they bite hard!

[@spicymeatballs2thespicening]

That's hilarious and cute somehow, as if it comes out because you told it its house is on fire lol

[@kellyspann9845]

These are everywhere in Texas especially in West Texas where the soil is like powder or fine sand.

[@Pjvenom1985]

Very interesting little creature, great video guys.🧠⚡

[@AnimalFactFiles]

Thank you so much!

[@icarolobo1116]

Antlion so creepy. Very good👏👏👏👏

[@bob4analog]

Interesting! They're rather timid when trying to get them out of their pit. They will often times play dead too. They're pretty vulnerable when they're not in the sand. The only advantage they have is when they're in the dirt (or sand).

[@jackkraken3888]

Character in a horror movie:"What is this pit I see? Let me get to the bottom of it and see what's there. "(Screaming ensures)

[@Barrymore20472]

When I was young, me and my friends used to fish for ant lions using a strand of hair. It was fun because don't let go of their potential prey once they take that bite.

[@MiraNecole]

this is what the evolution line of a Pokemon that goes by the name Trapinch is based off of :) cause Trapinch's Pokedex entries describes exactly how this animal hunts for food as a larvae

[@AnimalFactFiles]

Oh I never thought of that you're right! So glad you pointed that out!!

[@MiraNecole]

@@AnimalFactFiles and when you said in the video dig with their rear, I see even more how Trapinch represents them, but in a reverse manner, cause the antlion's heads are small compare to the rear side, but it's totally opposite for Trapinch's anatomy and they both use that big part of their body to dig around, I know Trapinch's Pokedex implies it crushes boulders with its powerful jaws and I'd imagine it digs with its jaws as well

[@alphaomega8373]

Lovely videos :D

[@AnimalFactFiles]

Thank you so much! 😊

[@thinkinginsideout4053]

I used to do antlion fishing. I blow one hole to get one antlion then ask for my mother's strand of hair then tie its head then let loose to the other holes to lure out other antlions... Those good old days.

[@benwil1715]

Oh crap....looks like the things the klingons used in "wrath of khan".... thanks for putting this in my head now.... 👍

[@urb4nviking219]

Absolutely love this mini Sarlacc pits.....

[@marvalice3455]

Could you do the grasshopper mouse, also known as the _werewolf_ mouse?

[@AnimalFactFiles]

Oooh sounds like a lot of fun!

[@marvalice3455]

@@AnimalFactFiles they are the only fully carnivorous species of mouse, and mark their territory by howling. (though to us it sounds more like a whistle, because mouse)

[@WeslingREAL]

I catch these outside my house sometimes, they have never bit me yet, one time I kept one and watched it make its burrow.

[@ShadowTF141]

The low budget Star Wars looks great!! The sarlacc pit.

[@bigpapi902]

Growing up in Arizona seen lot's of those pits in the ground.

[@eman-3]

I'm 68 years old and never heard of one of these things. Saw the little cones near the foundation of my house and freaked out a little since I recently had a termite infestation. Used Google Lense (they didn't pay me to say that) and took a pic of the cone shaped depressions around my house. It was then that I learned of the existence of an Antlion. They are all good in my book.

[@JT-kr3dg]

Loved catching those things in FL. Would relocate them near fire ant colonies, natural pest control. Definitely an inspiration for many movie monsters yet completely harmless and beneficial.

[@mcPeekBetweentheReeds]

found these nightmares in and around sandboxes and jungle gyms

[@miltonedwin8237]

put a weaver ant nest right at the centre of that area on 1:58

[@spicymeatballs2thespicening]

F E E D

[@redeye1978]

Excellent thank you 😊

[@Bobo1806able]

Hard to believe that bug from Star Trek is real.

[@paladinofhonor6634]

Great video!!! May I suggest the life of an Anaconda? :D

[@AnimalFactFiles]

Thanks so much! And absolutely! We have a video about anacondas right here: kzbin.info/www/bejne/qaS5m4CbgtF9aMU Thanks for watching!

[@paladinofhonor6634]

@@AnimalFactFiles you actually did!! Omg I'm so excited!!

[@Spiketrooper]

Well I'm glad its fairly obvious to find the babies holes. I def don't wanna step on that jaw. Even if its only an inch long.

[@MrGrombie]

I love ant lions! I used to catch so many of these as a kid. They are awesome! XD How about a weird one and lets do some fresh water sponges. Spongilla lacustris. So weird, and I want to get some for my pond.... XD

[@AnimalFactFiles]

Any lions are really cool! And we have a freshwater sponge video you can watch here: kzbin.info/www/bejne/rXemp5KVpcd-mtE

[@MrGrombie]

@@AnimalFactFiles No fckin wayyyyyyyy OMG

[@mickles1975]

Wait. I think you glossed over something there. Fact 1, Antlion larvae can hang around for three years underground Fact 2, Antlion larvae can't poop. Antlion larvae can't poop for three years?

[@mythicalslugbeam130]

Why else would they not be able to walk backwards? lol

[@crovax17]

Yes my childhood was filled with feeding these and spiders and ant farms. Lol nature is crazy .

[@joey.renaud]

I loved finding these up in the northern states, when I was a kid.

[@Johnson217]

So...you're telling me the store up to three years worth of poop? And I thought I had it rough waiting for a bathroom break...

[@papahemmy8587]

Poor laszlo 😢

[@jagondal8378]

Throwback to the movie Enemy Mine. Human-sized alien ant lions.

[@NumPad]

The adults are actually quite pretty! I like them!

[@gameskyjumper1721]

I know them from Link's Awakening.

[@bruceleroy8063]

Don't even think about trying to escape.

[@shelbylabelle4502]

When I was a kid one of my favorite things was go to the beach if feed those old guys

[@garynelson2409]

Maybe my favorite insect to watch as a boy. I used to feed them fire ants.😁

[@robertcraig156]

I used to play with ant lions when i was a kid, ' yesterday' . Let them turn little backward circles..or catch a bunch of ants and feed them..

[@koolfunnykat]

I drop insects in and watch these guys all the time as a kid.

[@East_TX_LCR]

Not going to lie. After watching the old star trek show when they had bugs they controlled people's brains, I put an ant lien in my brother's sleeping ear. He had to go to the ER 😂

[@jaymagisa1273]

Kurukya ang tawag samin nyan ,hinuhuli namin yan nung bata kami

[@michaelp.4890]

Hey, could you add winter stoneflies to the list?

[@jlyvren89]

I love these critters, had fun feeding them ants...👍

[@Renigade16]

As a child I use to drop ants in the lion pits and watch the dirt kick up and the ant be taken under the sand. I always wanted to know what those things looked liked lol

[@stevewellington2950]

Check out the old movie with Dennis Quaid called Enemy Mine it has an alien version of the antlion

[@snowkracker]

When I was a kid I would catch different small insects and drop them into the antlion traps to see how big an insect they could take on.

[@TheDuckumz]

Man, 3 years to finally shit is crazy. Here i thought the drive home was a struggle...

[@mythicalslugbeam130]

At that point, all that remains would be tiny brown pebbles lol

[@yetti423]

I know exactly how the antlions feel. Two days of food in Turkey backed me up a threat

[@jimhockley9730]

just realized. people now live surrounded by lawns and concrete. that's why they talk about when they were a kid and had all these things. (that can't live on concrete or lawns). like lawncrete. fortunately i have antlions here and i try not to step on them.

[@rblibit]

Growing up in Miami, Ant-lions were our best buddies. A slightly larger variety of Red Ants known as "Fire Ants" were the true enemy of children growing up down south. A few strategically located ant-lions could discourage the construction of Red Ant mounds by the most vicious of all ants, the dreaded FIRE ANT. Step on a Red Ant hill and not notice for 4 or 5 seconds and you had 50 to 100 welts that were painful all the way up your leg. There is a real reason to wear fairly tight underwear briefs, and it was the RED ANT. You did not want an invasion of the genitals by these EVIL BASTARDS. You would be in SERIOUS misery for a week or more.

[@sonic4ever6]

Poor lazlo! One of the fin st minds of our generation!

[@mobiustrip1400]

As kids we would drop ants into those holes 🤣 great fun was had by all

[@cup6024]

Except the ants :}

[@spicymeatballs2thespicening]

Cherish the antlion and help it grow big and strong 🙏 lol

[@IceniTotalWar]

When i saw it i thought of Star Trek Wrath of Khan.

[@ewokwarrior2656]

That and Jabba the Hutt and Bobba Fett trying to walk Luke off the plank in Star Wars.

[@IceniTotalWar]

@@ewokwarrior2656 Yep now you mention it, that too 😁