Ant Lion?
June 4, 2010
Hi! We found this monster crawling from the edge of the Muskegon River in Michigan toward the wood line. I thought it was an ant lion, but I haven’t seen any pictures of ant lions that look like this thing. I have video, also, if you’d like to see the creepy way the thing ambulated… What the heck is it? It was HUGE!
Eric Kincaid
Newaygo, MI
Hi Eric,
In the past week, we have been getting numerous photos of Hellgrammites like the one in your photo. We are also beginning to get images of adult Dobsonflies, the winged form of this aquatic larva. The male Dobsonfly possesses enormous saber-like mandibles, and if you think this Hellgrammite is frightening, wait until you see its daddy. Hellgrammites and Dobsonflies are both harmless, though the mandibles of the larva and those of the female can deliver a painful pinch, and possibly even draw blood. The foot is a nice use of scale.
