By TOSHIYUKI TAKEYA/ Staff Writer
August 5, 2016 at 10:50 JST
Editor's note: This is part of a series of videos offering an up-close perspective on the animal kingdom. A special 360-degree video camera system was set up in zoos and other facilities to show how the animals view their world as they interact.
Also visit our special 360-DEGREE LIVES page (http://t.asahi.com/360lives), where you can watch all the previous videos.
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Doodlebugs are ubiquitous predators that dig funnel-shaped pits in the ground or in the sand in dry places near homes.
Ants who misstep into doodlebugs’ steep-sloped pits with an insecure foothold fall rolling down the slant.
Awaiting its prey at the bottom of the pit, the doodlebug--also known as antlion larva--throws loose sand at the ants with its large jaws to prevent its targets from escaping the trap.
When the ants reach the center of the pit, the doodlebug captures its prey with its jaws to drag the victims into the ground and suck the fluids from them.
Antlion larvae also prey on woodlice and other insects.
Although their Japanese name, “arijigoku,” literally means “ant hell” and the doodlebugs look spooky with their large body, antlion larvae transform into adults with beautiful, translucent wings.
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