Praying mantis

F

francois

Schwat?
Registered Senior Member
Man, these creatures are interesting.

Look at this thing eat a mouse!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pNcIUIULafw

Yeah, you just saw an insect eat a mammal.

They should call it a preying mantis. Seriously, these things freak me out, although I've come to think they're pretty awesome. Have you ever seen one in real life?
 
This one was funny. As soon as the camera lens came close to it, it would try to hit it and jump / climb onto the lens. Curious little creatures indeed.

p1000198.jpg
 
Fastest strike on earth. Bar nothing.

They almost defy physics they are so fast.

Yes I've handled many of them, they are wonderful. I've also seeded(bought eggs) them for many years to add to the population around where I live.
 
francois said:
Man, these creatures are interesting.

Look at this thing eat a mouse!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pNcIUIULafw

Yeah, you just saw an insect eat a mammal.

They should call it a preying mantis. Seriously, these things freak me out, although I've come to think they're pretty awesome. Have you ever seen one in real life?
Click to expand...

Yeah I put one out on the long grass yesterday, they can grow quite big.
 
Dr Mabuse said:
Fastest strike on earth. Bar nothing.

They almost defy physics they are so fast.

Yes I've handled many of them, they are wonderful. I've also seeded(bought eggs) them for many years to add to the population around where I live.
Click to expand...

I beg to differ! The Peregrine Falcon is the fastest animal in the world, but I guess the Mantis has the fastest strike in the insect world.
 
ScaryMonster said:
I beg to differ! The Peregrine Falcon is the fastest animal in the world, but I guess the Mantis has the fastest strike in the insect world.
Click to expand...

The fastest muscle movement in the world:

Marc Seid and Jeremy Niven of the Smithsonian
Tropical Research Institute in Panama revealed that termites reach a speed of 70.4 m (220 ft) per second, even if over a distance of only 1.76 mm.
http://news.softpedia.com/news/The-Fastest-Muscle-Movement-in-the-World-62200.shtml
 
ScaryMonster said:
I beg to differ! The Peregrine Falcon is the fastest animal in the world, but I guess the Mantis has the fastest strike in the insect world.
Click to expand...

Wow.

You had trouble understanding my point? It was so simple and direct.
 
francois said:
They should call it a preying mantis. Seriously, these things freak me out, although I've come to think they're pretty awesome. Have you ever seen one in real life?
Click to expand...

Many, many, many times, in the US from North to South and East to West. They leave interesting and very distinctive "egg sacs" on trees and such as well.

Another interesting fact, if you are not a male praying mantis, is the females' tendency to eat their male companion after mating. (but not always)

I have seen them almost 6 inches long, plus witnessed them "attack" and eat prey, but never a mouse or other mammal.

That was awesome, dude!
 
Randwolf said:
Enmos, they eat many other harmful insects if you are gardening.

Many people do, in fact, buy them to keep in their gardens... ;)
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Yea, I read that on the internet.
But.. I also read that most companies that sell praying mantis eggs, sell eggs of a Chinese species.
I think it's irresponsible to release a foreign species into the wild as they might end up competing with endemic species.
 
Enmos said:
Yea, I read that on the internet.
But.. I also read that most companies that sell praying mantis eggs, sell eggs of a Chinese species.
I think it's irresponsible to release a foreign species into the wild as they might end up competing with endemic species.
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I have never personally raised / released any, G*d knows there were always plenty around! :bugeye:

I have read that people do so, but I did not realize they were not native Mantises. I wonder what is wrong with regular American ones, assuming you are residing in the US?
 
Randwolf said:
I have never personally raised / released any, G*d knows there were always plenty around! :bugeye:

I have read that people do so, but I did not realize they were not native Mantises. I wonder what is wrong with regular American ones, assuming you are residing in the US?
Click to expand...

I assume they make better pets for some reason, but I really don't know.
 
Enmos said:
I assume they make better pets for some reason, but I really don't know.
Click to expand...
Pets? For real? I know kids catch and keep them in jars for a few days, but I don't recall anyone referring to them as "pets". :eek:

Whatever, but that definitely does not justify introduction of a non-native species...

Pets - good grief...
 
Randwolf said:
Pets? For real? I know kids catch and keep them in jars for a few days, but I don't recall anyone referring to them as "pets". :eek:

Whatever, but that definitely does not justify introduction of a non-native species...

Pets - good grief...
Click to expand...
About 20 species are native to the United States, including the common Carolina mantis, and only one in Canada. Two species (the Chinese mantis and the European Mantis) were deliberately introduced to serve as pest control for agriculture, and have spread widely in both countries. While it is legal to keep native mantises as pets or to sell egg cases for gardening, non-native species are illegal to possess and release in the United States, under the Non-Native Invasive Species Act of 1992. Despite this, there is a strong market in the exotic pet trade for mantis species from Asia and Africa, and many species are bred in captivity for this purpose.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mantis#Introduced_species

Google "Praying Mantis Pet" ;)
 
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