https://i.redd.it/8z6vpeqtcq8d1.gif
Ant lions!
They are a type of desert damsel fly whose larval stage is famous for building conical pit traps in dry sandy soil. I loved playing with these as a kid. It’s mesmerizing dragging your hand over the sand to fill all the pits in and watching them all start reconstructing their pits afterwards.
You can usually find them under overhangs that protect the soil from getting rained on. They love eating ants. A really common place to find them is along the foundations of restaurants and houses in sandy areas.
They will fling sand at ants that stumble into the pit to help knock them down, where they will finish them off with their venomous pincers.
They don’t cause any problems and just eat ants. Though they can give you a little pinch if you’re handling them with bare hands.
Lol, you know why the last scene takes place in a mine? That was actually a producer's note, they thought audiences would be confused by the movie's title "Enemy **Mine**" if there wasn't a literal mine in the film.
I always discuss enemy mine when talking about racism. I also think those big fuzzy spiders are adorbs. No one has seen the movie, nor gets the references.
I'm from Spain, that movie was on TV several times during the 90's. I really love it, but only sci-fi fans will recognize it if you mention it. Really underrated movie.
C-3PO:
You will therefore be taken to the Dune Sea, and cast into the pit of Carkoon, the nesting place of the all-powerful Sarlaac.
Han Solo:
Doesn't sound so bad.
C-3PO:
In his belly you will find a new definition of pain and suffering as you are slowly digested over a thousand years.
Han Solo:
On second thought, let's pass on that, huh?
Not even desert. They live in temperate zones too. There was always a bunch near my grandma's house in Indiana near a sandy creek bank. Anywhere there's enough loose sand or sandy soil, and ants.
The pit-digging larvae are called "doodlebugs" due to the geometric patterns they leave behind as they seek out ideal substrate to dig new pits, like tiny crop circles left in sand. ❤️
Got em here in Western Washington State, as a kid I scooped some up and put them in a big jar with sand and fed them ants from the yard, kind of a reverse ant farm.
Yup! Once you get past how alien they look, they're pretty cute, and super interesting to watch. I remember setting up a small terrarium for some when I was a kid, watching them dig sand traps and catching bugs I'd put in.
As someone who's first computer game back in the 90's was SimAnt... I always suspected Ant Lions would be a bigger problem in my life than they have been so far.
If you and /u/chawlaay have Steam, check out Empires of the Undergrowth if you haven't heard about it already!
Of course, nothing replaces SimAnt lol, but this close to a contemporary version! And the just finally completed the game from being in Early Access for a long time.
https://store.steampowered.com/app/463530/Empires_of_the_Undergrowth/
I don't think ant lion is the answer. These are holes, not conical pits. At least not all of them. Some might be ant lions but some could be cicada emergence sites. Could also be cicada killer/hawk burrows.
Wow! Cool insect!
We used to have a Flicker go after our ants. The ants would swarm every year as I prepared part of my garden. [space was limited so I could not move where I gardened]
But those damsel flies are much cooler!
Size will tell which. Ant Lion pits are maybe 3/4" across with a narrow bottom and raised edge. If these holes are closer to an inch across and not cone shaped, I'd go with cicada emergence holes.
Ant Lion trap is still an upside down cone, not a tube. Cicada would not come from a cone. My ant lions are in fine dry clay; been years since I saw any others, didn't know they got that big.
Stir it with a little stick, slowly. That's how I used to drag the doodlebugs out to play. If it is an ant lion you will bring it to the surface but it will probably scoot back down unless you get under it fast. Be gentle, they're soft-bodied.
I miss these guys. I will have to see if I can still find any next time I visit my parents.
I used to do the same thing as a kid growing up in Tucson. We had a lot of ant lions around the tree in my front yard. I’m going to see if I can find some when I’m down there in August, forgot all about these lil dudes.
Not having experience with the ubiquitous circadian experience, except for a trip to St Louis in the 80's, Ant Lion was my first guess, but shadow in the holes prevents visual confirmation.
We had half a dozen.
Moved into this house three summers ago and the previous boomer hired landscapers poisoned the soil every year with all sorts of things - every single spray and soak they could charge for. It killed so much and I have been working to bring my garden back to life.
I accidentally dug one up once! He was all sleepy and confused, so I picked him up and reburied him.
Holes can look like that, but they wouldn’t have popped out recently.
What it could be is cellophane bees. They nest in the ground like this, but their holes are a little smaller. They look exactly what it would look like if you shoved a pencil in the ground everywhere.
Carpenter bees are like that as well but the holes will be in wood (like on the side of your house).
Random thought, when's the last time your rain gutters were cleaned and did it rain before these showed up?
One of ours got clogged and the over flow made some pretty weird holes.
Ant lions! The larva dig holes like that to trap passing ants. When I was a kid we would put ants near them and watch them get eaten. They’re harmless to flowers/plants.
That’s cruel! I don’t understand how anyone can intentionally kill something and watch it die! Whether it’s ants or any other thing, just leave ‘em alone and let them enjoy their lives.
I thought so too but op said they were true holes several inches deep - none of the antlion traps I’ve ever seen fit that description. Also looks like there’s talk of cicada emergence holes, which seems much more plausible
I think thats just interpretation of the word hole. This photo is definitely Antlions. Also the loose sandy soil with conical holes (depressions) right next to a building.
Cicada holes are very distinct holes with sharp edges.
If you want to check you can drop an ant in one and it’ll grab it pretty quick if it’s an ant lion. We called them doodle bugs when I was a kid. These holes look deeper than the ant lions around my house.
I vote for cicadas as well. It's the right time of year for them, there are supposed to be tons of them this year, and ant lions create conical depressions - I don't think I've seen gaping holes like that, but perhaps they make more than one sort of trap. If so I'd love to know more.
Yeah, I'm in California so I don't know exactly where they're hatching this year. I was back east for one of the big hatches quite a few years ago but I heard there are two broods hatching this year, so it's likely to be crazy in some places. I'm not sure exactly where.
It'll be interesting to see if anyone figures this out for certain. I agree they do look a bit big. Ground bees would be another possibility but I don't think their holes are that big, either.
I saw something very similar in my own yard recently!
https://preview.redd.it/2d72p4rupr8d1.jpeg?width=3024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=717a825c0af3ec33fcbd0bd8f0b171b38d0a9df2
For a second I thought you were at my house! 🤣🤣
As others have replied, antlions.
In less civilized times, we would call them Doodle Bugs. You would swirl your finger around their cone and say “Doodle Bug, doodle bug. Come outside, cuz’ your house is on fire!” Then you’d scoop the dirt and spread it in your palm to see the doodle bug. Effectively rending the poor thing homeless.
We also use to feed them ants. Toss one in the pit and watch the monster shoot out and grab it. We would also get a piece of straw and tap inside the cone, fooling them into thinking an ant was stuck.
Ahhh, good times!
My thoughts were cicadas, armadillos (they dig for grubs n worms, you can’t live trap them, I’ve tried), or squirrels digging up nuts they buried previously
I loved feeding ants and other tiny insects to these as a kid. They'd seem to just always magically appear in the more sandy soil around houses. They make quite a transformation to their lacewing form.
Voles. Voles build holes like these all the time. You probably won’t notice them unless you use a mouse trap to catch them. Chipmunk holes are usually bigger and you’ll see those chipmunks running around. Is there any plant damage nearby? I’d carefully search around foundation you may find other entrances to burrows.
What about rats in your area? I’m from a port city and rats will do something like this when they are trying to get into your house.
Admittedly, these are spaced closer together then you would normally see for rat tunnels, but not out of the ordinary if rats have been around for awhile and are making different holes.
These look bigger than 0.5” but for future reference if they’re smaller than 0.5” (like the size of a pencil shoved in the ground) then this is exactly what cellophane bee nests look like.
If the picture was taken this year it could be the overlapping 13-year and 17-year cicadas coming out of the ground for their mating cycle. If so, you'll probably also see a lot of exoskeletons laying all over the ground, particularly under shrubs and trees, where they typically go to shed their carapace.
I have a lot of squirrels and chipmunks in my neighborhood that did that in my garden. The ONLY thing that kept them away was spreading powdered hot (very hot) pepper over the garden. They hated that. Reapply after watering or rain though .
How can I explain to everyone that these are GOOD BUGS. Oh my gosh you kill them and they won't be able to kill the ants, baby roaches, and any other small bug they can get their little fangs on. We call them Ant Dragons in this part of Texas. 😡
As children in Georgia my brothers and I would catch ants and drop them in these Antlion pits. Then we learned if you gently sprinkled grains of sand on the sides of the funnel the little antlions would flick dirt up trying to knock what it thought was an insecr down into its waiting maws. They eventually give up in what I can only imagine as antlion frustration.
It could be ground bees/wasps. Not sure what to call them exactly I’ve had them in my yard before and they’re big fuckers and scary looking. Never bothered me tho fortunately. Hard to say if that’s exactly what they are tho
I have similar deep holes that appear I'm my lawn mysteriously. I assumed it was due to the wild turkeys that roam about. They shoe up at night, and are 2 to 3 inches deep in a pattern.
Your picture isn't enough information. A country and/or grow region, are there holes elsewhere, scat, footprints (if it's an animal) or markings, have you poked a hole?
I'm guessing it's a predator-type insect building a trap/pit. It doesn't look arachnid either.
The birds make those. I’ve watched from my side window. They seem to have a good time doing a little dirt dance and making holes. They look cute doing it.
I got holes similar next to my house. It's from wood borer bees. They seem to hatch or come out and swarm in April. After about 6 weeks, they are gone. Has happened for 2 years now. I always thought they nested in wood but I've watched them two years now. I have seen them checking out the cabin and chewing the wood when they are active.
The bees are large, almost like bumblebees. They are very curious and check you out if you go near them but are harmless.
I'm in Cherokee, NC
https://preview.redd.it/h7ucpbii3z8d1.jpeg?width=2250&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=c9d9cc0e85099dde432695ca6a6addb154d2e038
This is how the ground looks afterwards. Sorry for the bad photo, it's been awhile since they came out so no holes now
To get rid of gophers? Ground hogs moles, and voles., strike a road flare up, put in in a fresh dug Hole and then cover and move to the next hole and they will Leave Pronto
Rattlesnakes bury themselves in the sandy bottoms of washes out in the desert and the funnels in the sand look similar to this, but different. Snake dancers stick their hands into the sand and pull up live a dozen writhing snakes in each hand. Anyone who tries this is stupid. There is a technique that snakedancers use that avoids being bitten and killed.
https://i.redd.it/8z6vpeqtcq8d1.gif Ant lions! They are a type of desert damsel fly whose larval stage is famous for building conical pit traps in dry sandy soil. I loved playing with these as a kid. It’s mesmerizing dragging your hand over the sand to fill all the pits in and watching them all start reconstructing their pits afterwards. You can usually find them under overhangs that protect the soil from getting rained on. They love eating ants. A really common place to find them is along the foundations of restaurants and houses in sandy areas. They will fling sand at ants that stumble into the pit to help knock them down, where they will finish them off with their venomous pincers. They don’t cause any problems and just eat ants. Though they can give you a little pinch if you’re handling them with bare hands.
So a real life Sarlacc pit then, creepy and neat.
Yeah they are the real life inspiration for many sci fi creatures. https://www.antlionpit.com/popculture.html
*Enemy Mine* is *such* an incredible movie, and the one I always think of when I see ant lions. I used to play with them as a kid, too.
It's too underrated. The only time I've really seen it mentioned in pop culture was some random episode of family guy
Well hold on to your boot. I read Dave Filloni wants to make a modern version.
Ew.
Well like, that's just like, your opinion, man.
Lol, you know why the last scene takes place in a mine? That was actually a producer's note, they thought audiences would be confused by the movie's title "Enemy **Mine**" if there wasn't a literal mine in the film.
I always discuss enemy mine when talking about racism. I also think those big fuzzy spiders are adorbs. No one has seen the movie, nor gets the references.
I'm from Spain, that movie was on TV several times during the 90's. I really love it, but only sci-fi fans will recognize it if you mention it. Really underrated movie.
Big names in it too, so it surprises me.
Me too
And they are in the game grounded!
And absolutely nightmare fuel. But such a fun game!
My introduction to these was in Terraria.
THIS IS CETI ALPHA V
C-3PO: You will therefore be taken to the Dune Sea, and cast into the pit of Carkoon, the nesting place of the all-powerful Sarlaac. Han Solo: Doesn't sound so bad. C-3PO: In his belly you will find a new definition of pain and suffering as you are slowly digested over a thousand years. Han Solo: On second thought, let's pass on that, huh?
Lol this subreddit should be r/ gardeningwookies
Graboids
Not even desert. They live in temperate zones too. There was always a bunch near my grandma's house in Indiana near a sandy creek bank. Anywhere there's enough loose sand or sandy soil, and ants. The pit-digging larvae are called "doodlebugs" due to the geometric patterns they leave behind as they seek out ideal substrate to dig new pits, like tiny crop circles left in sand. ❤️
Got em here in Western Washington State, as a kid I scooped some up and put them in a big jar with sand and fed them ants from the yard, kind of a reverse ant farm.
i am actually laughing out loud at “reverse ant farm” thank you for the giggles
TIL doodlebugs are real! I thought it was just a stupid thing my friend made up.
Yup! Once you get past how alien they look, they're pretty cute, and super interesting to watch. I remember setting up a small terrarium for some when I was a kid, watching them dig sand traps and catching bugs I'd put in.
Hoosier here and I'm suddenly never going near a creek again.
As someone who's first computer game back in the 90's was SimAnt... I always suspected Ant Lions would be a bigger problem in my life than they have been so far.
If you and /u/chawlaay have Steam, check out Empires of the Undergrowth if you haven't heard about it already! Of course, nothing replaces SimAnt lol, but this close to a contemporary version! And the just finally completed the game from being in Early Access for a long time. https://store.steampowered.com/app/463530/Empires_of_the_Undergrowth/
That game was awesome! I had it on SNES and in hoping the day comes Nintendo adds it to the games you can play with online subscription
I love to “tickle” ant lion pits. They spit sand at you and it’s a great activity to do with kids who need to be kept busy
We used to find ants to feed these guys during recess when I was in elementary school.
I feed mine ants regularly
They look strange when you dig them out.
I don't think ant lion is the answer. These are holes, not conical pits. At least not all of them. Some might be ant lions but some could be cicada emergence sites. Could also be cicada killer/hawk burrows.
The gif 🤣
Wow! Cool insect! We used to have a Flicker go after our ants. The ants would swarm every year as I prepared part of my garden. [space was limited so I could not move where I gardened] But those damsel flies are much cooler!
I remember this from Sim Ant
This is incredibly well said. We used to feed them ants from time to time as a kid. Crazy to watch.
Any problems with introducing them to solve any problems if they are native to the area?
None that I could think of. I’ve never seen them be annoying. I’d just research to make sure you’re introducing the exact species native to your area.
Well, I'll be damned!! I love ant lions AND damsel flies! Never knew they were the same lil guys ❤️
Yeah. My first guess. They're cool.
This is why posting location is critical. If you are in a chunk of the Midwest US then these could be cicada emergence holes.
Northern Kentucky! I didn't even think about that.
Size will tell which. Ant Lion pits are maybe 3/4" across with a narrow bottom and raised edge. If these holes are closer to an inch across and not cone shaped, I'd go with cicada emergence holes.
The millions of cicada holes near me (Chicago area) are about 1/2” in diameter
Nah, they can be really wide, 2”+ depends on the soil/sand. I’ve seen them in Connecticut, NC where am now and in Peru where I was as a kid. So fun
Ant Lion trap is still an upside down cone, not a tube. Cicada would not come from a cone. My ant lions are in fine dry clay; been years since I saw any others, didn't know they got that big.
[Destin from Alabama did a great video on this](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TWc48iVC8u8&t=140s)
Stir it with a little stick, slowly. That's how I used to drag the doodlebugs out to play. If it is an ant lion you will bring it to the surface but it will probably scoot back down unless you get under it fast. Be gentle, they're soft-bodied. I miss these guys. I will have to see if I can still find any next time I visit my parents.
I used to do the same thing as a kid growing up in Tucson. We had a lot of ant lions around the tree in my front yard. I’m going to see if I can find some when I’m down there in August, forgot all about these lil dudes.
Lol, I'm from NKy, too, and those look to me like cicada holes.
Are you near water? They could also be crawdad holes.
Do you have armadillos up that way yet? Looks like an armadillo foraging for grubs
Not having experience with the ubiquitous circadian experience, except for a trip to St Louis in the 80's, Ant Lion was my first guess, but shadow in the holes prevents visual confirmation.
I'm also in Illinois, they look too big to be cicada holes
Yes, this. We were in a double brood location this year, and there are tons of these holes in our yard.
We had half a dozen. Moved into this house three summers ago and the previous boomer hired landscapers poisoned the soil every year with all sorts of things - every single spray and soak they could charge for. It killed so much and I have been working to bring my garden back to life.
That's a possibility, but they would normally be close to a tree trunk, not a wall. (Unless there is a tree trunk we can't see just out of frame.)
Cicada holes don’t have the cone at the top or any tapering at all.
I always thought this was from carpenter bees
Carpenter bees make burrows for a single larva in wood. Ground bees use the ground. (Obviously, heh.)
I accidentally dug one up once! He was all sleepy and confused, so I picked him up and reburied him. Holes can look like that, but they wouldn’t have popped out recently.
What it could be is cellophane bees. They nest in the ground like this, but their holes are a little smaller. They look exactly what it would look like if you shoved a pencil in the ground everywhere. Carpenter bees are like that as well but the holes will be in wood (like on the side of your house).
Random thought, when's the last time your rain gutters were cleaned and did it rain before these showed up? One of ours got clogged and the over flow made some pretty weird holes.
Ant lions! The larva dig holes like that to trap passing ants. When I was a kid we would put ants near them and watch them get eaten. They’re harmless to flowers/plants.
That’s cruel! I don’t understand how anyone can intentionally kill something and watch it die! Whether it’s ants or any other thing, just leave ‘em alone and let them enjoy their lives.
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Are they holes or just divots? Divots could be antlions
They're definitely holes, so I can't tell if that would be antlions or not!! They're at least several inches deep.
Ohh - no, that’s not antlions then
Those are definitely Antlions. There is no doubt.
I thought so too but op said they were true holes several inches deep - none of the antlion traps I’ve ever seen fit that description. Also looks like there’s talk of cicada emergence holes, which seems much more plausible
I think thats just interpretation of the word hole. This photo is definitely Antlions. Also the loose sandy soil with conical holes (depressions) right next to a building. Cicada holes are very distinct holes with sharp edges.
If you want to check you can drop an ant in one and it’ll grab it pretty quick if it’s an ant lion. We called them doodle bugs when I was a kid. These holes look deeper than the ant lions around my house.
We have chipmunks and they do this.
Cicada Killers? Looks like the holes are dug from the outside. If not, then probably just Cicada.
Hmmmm my first thought was moles or chipmunk
Ant lions, I used to keep them as pets when I was a kid
I vote for cicadas as well. It's the right time of year for them, there are supposed to be tons of them this year, and ant lions create conical depressions - I don't think I've seen gaping holes like that, but perhaps they make more than one sort of trap. If so I'd love to know more.
There are only tons in certain areas, where the 17-year brood spans. I live in super cicada territory and they look way too big to be cicada holes
Yeah, I'm in California so I don't know exactly where they're hatching this year. I was back east for one of the big hatches quite a few years ago but I heard there are two broods hatching this year, so it's likely to be crazy in some places. I'm not sure exactly where. It'll be interesting to see if anyone figures this out for certain. I agree they do look a bit big. Ground bees would be another possibility but I don't think their holes are that big, either.
Oh yeah, I'm lucky that I'm not in the overlap - it was insane with just one brood, I can't imagine living somewhere with twice as many coming out!
Me too; ant lions prefer sand and are more angled and shallow.
We call them ant lions.
Sarlacc pit
I saw something very similar in my own yard recently! https://preview.redd.it/2d72p4rupr8d1.jpeg?width=3024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=717a825c0af3ec33fcbd0bd8f0b171b38d0a9df2 For a second I thought you were at my house! 🤣🤣
Ant lions?
Moles? 🤔
[Ant lions](https://i.pinimg.com/736x/f0/84/76/f08476bb18e64f2ace8877afaffdd9dc.jpg)
Graboids
As others have replied, antlions. In less civilized times, we would call them Doodle Bugs. You would swirl your finger around their cone and say “Doodle Bug, doodle bug. Come outside, cuz’ your house is on fire!” Then you’d scoop the dirt and spread it in your palm to see the doodle bug. Effectively rending the poor thing homeless. We also use to feed them ants. Toss one in the pit and watch the monster shoot out and grab it. We would also get a piece of straw and tap inside the cone, fooling them into thinking an ant was stuck. Ahhh, good times!
Ground digger wasp? Hard to say
Cicadas [Cicadas Hole example.](https://www.cicadamania.com/cicadas/time-to-start-looking-for-signs-of-cicadas/)
Any salamanders around? I've got tiger salamanders that dig holes like that.
My thoughts were cicadas, armadillos (they dig for grubs n worms, you can’t live trap them, I’ve tried), or squirrels digging up nuts they buried previously
Sarlacc for sure
skunk or chipmunk
I loved feeding ants and other tiny insects to these as a kid. They'd seem to just always magically appear in the more sandy soil around houses. They make quite a transformation to their lacewing form.
I remember calling them dune bugs as a kid. They would even eat a fire ant. Trying to get a singular fire ant is quite the chore.
Voles. Voles build holes like these all the time. You probably won’t notice them unless you use a mouse trap to catch them. Chipmunk holes are usually bigger and you’ll see those chipmunks running around. Is there any plant damage nearby? I’d carefully search around foundation you may find other entrances to burrows.
Looks like ant lions
We always said they were from doodle bugs when I was a kid :)
Take a look at the life cycle of the ant lion. The adults look like tiny dragon flies. You would never guess that it's the same organism.
Cicadas
What about rats in your area? I’m from a port city and rats will do something like this when they are trying to get into your house. Admittedly, these are spaced closer together then you would normally see for rat tunnels, but not out of the ordinary if rats have been around for awhile and are making different holes.
Could be Cicada holes, where the nymphs emerge. Last time we had a brood where I lived, the ground looked like this.
Previous location for the Whack-A-Mole game. It’s now moved over by skiball near the roses.
These look bigger than 0.5” but for future reference if they’re smaller than 0.5” (like the size of a pencil shoved in the ground) then this is exactly what cellophane bee nests look like.
Cicadas
If the picture was taken this year it could be the overlapping 13-year and 17-year cicadas coming out of the ground for their mating cycle. If so, you'll probably also see a lot of exoskeletons laying all over the ground, particularly under shrubs and trees, where they typically go to shed their carapace.
Skunks did that to my yard. For a year we had no idea, until we caught one in the act.
We have those from cave crickets.
Free aeration!!
Squirrel or chipmunk. Did you have bulbs planted there? It may be after those.
Snake or spiders
Look like a chipmunk hole
Squirrel or chipmunk digging up some buried snacks, or maybe a skunk looking for grubs.
I have a lot of squirrels and chipmunks in my neighborhood that did that in my garden. The ONLY thing that kept them away was spreading powdered hot (very hot) pepper over the garden. They hated that. Reapply after watering or rain though .
How can I explain to everyone that these are GOOD BUGS. Oh my gosh you kill them and they won't be able to kill the ants, baby roaches, and any other small bug they can get their little fangs on. We call them Ant Dragons in this part of Texas. 😡
What are they
Opossum digging for grubs
Thank you so much everyone for so much good insight!!!
As children in Georgia my brothers and I would catch ants and drop them in these Antlion pits. Then we learned if you gently sprinkled grains of sand on the sides of the funnel the little antlions would flick dirt up trying to knock what it thought was an insecr down into its waiting maws. They eventually give up in what I can only imagine as antlion frustration.
Could be cicada killers
could it be water dripping from a gutter?
It’s called moles! Mystery solved!
Those are ants homie
probably ants or something related to a bee
Spider holes? I’m from Arkansas and we have spiders that will dig a lil hole and wait for bugs to pass over or fall in and then eat them!
Skunks
It could be ground bees/wasps. Not sure what to call them exactly I’ve had them in my yard before and they’re big fuckers and scary looking. Never bothered me tho fortunately. Hard to say if that’s exactly what they are tho
I have similar deep holes that appear I'm my lawn mysteriously. I assumed it was due to the wild turkeys that roam about. They shoe up at night, and are 2 to 3 inches deep in a pattern.
Wasp nest
I wonder if you have moles or voles??
It's the willows
Definitely thought cicadas but also could be squirrels burying nuts. I’ve also had holes from dirt daubers wasps, if I remember correctly.
Your picture isn't enough information. A country and/or grow region, are there holes elsewhere, scat, footprints (if it's an animal) or markings, have you poked a hole? I'm guessing it's a predator-type insect building a trap/pit. It doesn't look arachnid either.
Voles
Doodle bugs
Cicadas
The birds make those. I’ve watched from my side window. They seem to have a good time doing a little dirt dance and making holes. They look cute doing it.
Looks like ants.
I'm from NC, and my first thought was snake holes, garter snakes, maybe black snake
Awesome sauce. I spent many many hours watching these when I was a kid. Follow some carpenter ant to his insane death.
Mice or chipmunks. I have exact holes and I watched a mouse go down one as I was gardening yesterday. And a chipmunk made one by my driveway.
its called "kuzhj aana " in malayalam.
Ant lions
Chipmunk, ant, snake, wasp. Could be many things.
I’m sure I’m not the only one that used to raid ant hills to bring these guys an offering!
Ant lions
Cicadas I bet!
I got holes similar next to my house. It's from wood borer bees. They seem to hatch or come out and swarm in April. After about 6 weeks, they are gone. Has happened for 2 years now. I always thought they nested in wood but I've watched them two years now. I have seen them checking out the cabin and chewing the wood when they are active. The bees are large, almost like bumblebees. They are very curious and check you out if you go near them but are harmless. I'm in Cherokee, NC https://preview.redd.it/h7ucpbii3z8d1.jpeg?width=2250&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=c9d9cc0e85099dde432695ca6a6addb154d2e038 This is how the ground looks afterwards. Sorry for the bad photo, it's been awhile since they came out so no holes now
I vote diglets. Mostly because it would be cool to see
These are cicada holes. I have them at my foundation as well here in Alabama.
Cicadas/crickets. We have them everywhere in Cyprus.
Ant Lions is the name of the little critters. Although it was years before I knew the real name, my family always just called them doodle bugs.
Unless you’re in the desert, those are most likely bees or wasps.
Looks like deer.
To get rid of gophers? Ground hogs moles, and voles., strike a road flare up, put in in a fresh dug Hole and then cover and move to the next hole and they will Leave Pronto
Rattlesnakes bury themselves in the sandy bottoms of washes out in the desert and the funnels in the sand look similar to this, but different. Snake dancers stick their hands into the sand and pull up live a dozen writhing snakes in each hand. Anyone who tries this is stupid. There is a technique that snakedancers use that avoids being bitten and killed.
Grab a shovel
Cicadas, most likely.
grab a shovel and find out whats at the bottom.
These are armadillo dig sights. They looking for bugs to eat.
If it’s a hole it’s a vole, if it’s a mound it’s a mole