Danny White, age 12, Newton* Kansas

What is an ant lion?

The ant lion waits for his prey in a sandy lair. He uses his back legs to dig a round hole in the sand, This lair may be two inches across and as deep as the shifting sand will stay put. The hungry trapper then buries himself in the bottom of his pit. Only his strong Jaws are left uncovered He is waiting for an insect to walk over the sandy rim of his pit,

This starts the grains of sand falling in a miniature landslide. The ant lion comes out and adds to the confusion by tossing up more sand. At the right moment he seizes the trapped insect in his powerful jaws and devours it,

In time  the ant lion gives up his bloodthirsty life, He builds a rough cocoon around himself and passes into a sleeping cycle. He wakes ups not as a hungry lion but as a large insect, winged like a damsel fly, This is the insect's adult cycle. Mama is now ready to lay the eggs which will. hatch into the next generation of ant lions.