Antlions are in a family of about 2,000 species and are named for the predatory nature of their larva, which commonly trap ants and other small insects in pits dug into the ground. The antlion larva digs a funnel-shaped pit into which the larva buries itself with only its jaws exposed. Small insects that ventures over the edge of the sandy pit slips to the bottom and is seized by the sickle-like jaws of the antlion. The larvae of some species ambush prey from a hiding place instead of making a pit.