II.A.1 ANT LIONS: The Hairy Predator From Down Under
Student Data Sheet

Team members: __________________________________

1. Find an ant lion pit. Describe its location and surroundings.
   
   

Is it under cover or out in the open?	Under cover	open
Do you see any anthills close by?	yes	no
Do you see any bird tracks around the pit?	yes	no




2. Do you see any other ant lion pits close by? Measure the distance to the closest one _______.
   
   
3. How many pits do you see within 20 centimeters of your ant lion pit? (Use your ruler to measure.) _________
   
   
4. Carefully measure the diameter (width) of your ant lion pit. _______ centimeters (cm)
   
   
5. Catch an ant or some other small insect and drop it carefully into your ant lion pit.
   
   

Did the ant lion catch it?	yes	no
Or was it able to escape?	yes	no




6. How did the ant lion catch the insect?
   
   
7. What happened after the ant lion caught the insect?
   
   
8. What happens if you drop a tiny piece of debris into the pit?
   
   
9. Try to catch your ant lion with a spoon. Watch it move in your hand. Does it move forward or backwards?
   
   
10. Measure the ant lion: ______cm (Make sure you measure the ant lion that came from the pit that you measured in question #3. If you have problems catching the ant lion, you may need to measure a second pit and try to catch and measure that ant lion.)
    
    
11. Do you see any hairs on its body?         yes         no
    
    

Which direction are they pointing? ____________

Why do you think ant lions have hairy bodies?

Why do you think the hairs are pointing in the direction you see?

12. Do you see any doodle trails?         yes         no
    
    

If yes, measure the width of the trail. ______ centimeters (cm)

Can you see a small pit at one end of the trail? ____




13. What is the temperature of the sand? ______________
    
    
14. Is the sand wet or dry? _____________