Arizona
Related: About this forumAny idea what these might be? In the shade of a mesquite tree.
About the size of a fifty-cent piece.
Ocelot II
(121,236 posts)ant lions are larvae of a harmless flying insect that is similar to a dragonfly
MLAA
(18,654 posts)Ive never seen a chipmunk type animal around but lots of lizards. I keep meaning to ask the man who takes care of our yard.
I googled and found this:
What digs holes in Tucson?
These creatures dig small, snake-sized holes to escape the Arizona heatand predators:
Round-tailed squirrels.
Harris' antelope squirrels.
Pocket mice.
Lizards.
Tarantulas.
surfered
(3,532 posts)surfered
(3,532 posts)eppur_se_muova
(37,573 posts)It feeds on ants and traps them with this slippery slope. Think Revenge of the Jedi
umroman
(36 posts)Silent Type
(7,199 posts)But have never seen them in rocky areas, and they werent that big. I wouldnt camp on top of those or stick my finger in one.
Plus, they kind of look like someone stood there pounding hiking poles into the ground.
Kali
(55,829 posts)Silent Type
(7,199 posts)Kali
(55,829 posts)many of the larvae of dragonfly family are great sci fi monsters.
CanonRay
(14,903 posts)Enter stage left
(3,829 posts)Our friends in Scenic AZ call them "rat bastards".
duncang
(3,714 posts)You will see the ant lion kicking back out the dirt. If you see an ant fall in you can also see the ant lion kick up dirt to make it harder for the ant to escape. Then no more ant.
dobleremolque
(906 posts)the bottom of the conical trap. Ants and other insects crawl in and the sloping, grainy sides of the hole make it difficult to escape by climbing up. Ant lion has a meal.