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♪ You never really know where trouble is lurking... when one wayward step... means disaster.

This small hole in the sand is really the lair of a wormlion, and it's ferocious.

You find them in dry, dusty soil in the mountains of Northern California.

The ground is cratered with danger.

Sure, it's a tiny little wriggly thing.

But wormlions set a fearsome trap that's straight out of science fiction.

To build it, they slink below the surface, pushing through dirt, sand, and rocks.

♪ They'll fling them out of the way as they get settled into their shallow pit.

Oops, try again.

Then it just lies in wait.

It's almost invisible, camouflaged by the sand stuck to its body.

This ant is totally clueless.

The wormlion strikes like a cobra, injecting venom into its prey to paralyze it.

♪ It constricts the ant, dragging it under until it's all over.

When the wormlion is done feeding on the juicy innards, it flicks the empty carcass away and tidies up its pit for its next meal.

♪ Um, careful.

After a couple of years of the good life, this wormlion will leave this dusty ditch behind and take to the skies.

Because, really, it's not a worm at all.

It's a fly larva.

It'll turn into this-- a fly that lives for less than a week.

Its only job is to mate and lay eggs.

But for most of its life, it's sitting pretty in its pit, waiting for lunch to fall right in its lap.

Hey, there.

Supporting Deep Look on Patreon helps us bring you even more pint-sized predators, like a turret spider, snatching its prey or mantises giving free hugs.

Still not enough?

Then go watch Monstrum.

It's a terrifying new show from PBS Digital Studios all about your favorite monsters, myths, and lore.

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