Nature & You: These lions lurk in your neighborhood

I caution you this: Read this article in its entirety. If you peruse just the introductory paragraph and then cast the newspaper aside in disgust and fright, you will not bear witness to my complete tongue-in-cheek rendition of this most unusual creature that makes its home in close proximity to your home.

What I have to say is this: Venture outside and you will be within shouting distance of lions. Lots of them!  

No, not the big, hairy kind. Instead, I speak of a type of baby insect that is about the size of the fingernail on your little pinkie. It is a bug called an ant lion. As you might suppose, it preys on ants. I would suppose ants would view these large-jawed predators as terror incarnate. We humans need not rock back on our heels in alarm.

Start your search by being on the lookout for dime-sized pits in dry, powdery dirt. The pits are shaped like miniature funnels. The sides of these pits are "slippery slopes" that doom a clumsy ant into falling down to the waiting jaws of the hungry ant lion.

If you scoop up the ant lion's abode and carefully sift it through a piece of window screen, you will be able to get a better look at the heretofore-hidden ant lion. At the end of this science lesson, you are encouraged to return the ant lion to his former home.

Neil Garrison was the longtime naturalist at a central Oklahoma nature center. His email is atlatlgarrison@hotmail.com.