Ant
bugs like this one lie in wait on tree bark near foraging ants. When hungry, they rear up and
expose their undersides, which release a secretion attractive to ants. As the
ants start feeding on the substance, they become lethargic from a narcotic in
the secretion. That's when the ant bug strikes, savagely driving its beak into
the weakened ant's body and sucking out its life juices. The ant bug's hairs
protect it from any death-throe bites or scrabbles by its victim. Today, ant bugs are extinct in the Western Hemisphere.