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Insects whose larvae wait in sand pits or hide under litter, and whose winged adults look nothing like them.
Antlions belong to the family Myrmeleontidae. The larvae, sometimes called doodlebugs, have three pairs of legs and a flat head with sickle-like jaws that can inject venom into prey. Depending on the species and place, a larva hides under leaves or wood, or digs a pit in sandy ground and waits at the bottom for small insects, mainly ants.
The life cycle is long. Antlions develop in an egg, larva, pupa and adult sequence, and one generation may take two to three years. Larvae eat for about two years before making a cocoon of sand and silk, and the adults emerge after about four weeks and live about four more. Adults look more like damselflies but have longer, clubbed antennae, and are poor flyers active at night, attracted to lights.
Antlions prefer arid, sandy habitats. USU's fact sheet is dated 2008 and gives general life history, not a Utah species list, so a pit or larva you see cannot be named to one species without expert help. Look, but do not dig into pits or handle the larvae.
Cone-shaped pits in loose sand, or damselfly-like adults with long clubbed antennae.
Look at pits without digging in them or handling larvae.
Sure-footed sheep of the slickrock, restored to Zion after disappearing there.
Insect-eating flying mammals whose lives depend on suitable roosts, water and a safe seasonal cycle.
A diverse group of native predators best appreciated without handling or close-range identification attempts.