Thread: Insects and Arachnids and the like...

RE Insects and Spiders and the like... Usually, I try to wait until at least one person comments on my previous highlight before posting another. But I guess my Argentine Ant highlight didn't pique enough interest. This next one has a lot more content, so maybe it will give this thread the kick it needs. Now I love all all insects, spiders, crustaceans and anything else that could be considered a bug, very dearly. But my favorite insect of all time is without question, the Praying Mantis! The Praying Mantis can be found world wide in any temperate or tropical habitat par arctic regions of course. Its name is derived from the stance of its two forearms, which appear as if it were in prayer. It is sometimes mistakenly spelled Preying with an e because they are efficient hunters. Praying Mantis's sport large compound eyes and with it, superior vision, being able to see up to 50 feet away. That's not much too us but most insects are lucky if they can see a mere five or ten feet from where they stand. The only problem with the Mantis's eyes are that since they are so close together, they may offer problems with depth perception. To compensate for this, the Mantis will sway from side to side in order to measure whatever it's looking at, to the background behind it. If you look at a Mantis closely and see it rocking back and forth, be ready, as it may about to jump on your face. Praying Mantises also own a pair of wings that function not unlike many other insects. Though it varies from species to species, most Mantis's ability of flight are mediocre at best due to their unusual body shape. However, the Praying Mantis's most distinguishing and eye catching feature are their elongated spine ridden forearms. Praying Mantises are strictly carnivorous predators as mentioned above and unnervingly deadly ones at that. First off, almost all species of Mantis boost excellent camouflage suited to their environment. Mantises that live close to the ground are usually a brownish color to blend in with the dirt and fallen leaves. Mantises that live on plants or trees will have an expected shade of green. A tree dwelling Mantis may even further this disguise by swaying back and forth in time as to mimic the leaves around it blowing in the wind. What do ya know, I suppose they have two reasons for swaying back in forth Their are even Mantises that are adapted to hunting on flowers that can sport elegant spots or bright shades of a color, like this. These various forms of camouflage are a great aid in their hunting in addition to staying undetected by other, bigger predators. It's only a matter of time until a suitable meal comes in range of the mantis. Once the time to strike arises, they lash out to grab its prey with their two forearms with lightning speed 120th the speed of a blink of an eye to be exact each of which has hundreds of spines attached to impale the victim. Once in the grip of a Praying Mantis, there is little one can do but hope that by some miracle the Mantis may lose its grip. Here's a video showing exactly just how strong a mantis's hold can be. videoyoutube As you might of seen from the video, Mantises are patient when hunting, but not when eating as they began to chow down as soon as they hold their catch in their forearms, almost always as the prey is still alive. Their table manors aren't all bad though, as they will carefully groom each forearm when finished, most likely to keep chunks of food from impairing their grip on its next victim. When snack time is done, they retreat back to the same spot or find another and begin the process all over again. The Praying Mantises hunting methods are so effective, that an entire form of martial arts has been invented and stylized after them, check it out! videoyoutube Now I'm sure all of you have heard the Mantises methods of coupling and the certain consequences it has for the male mantis. To my knowledge, the female will attempt to devour the male if she hasn't recently eaten. However this is a tad exaggerated at times and more often than not, the male will walk away head and all. In fact Mantis courtship has sometimes been observed to involve a number of dances and rituals that would rival other animals known for their romantic mating methods. Even through their fierce predatory skills and sometimes fatal relationships, Praying Mantises make surprisingly superb pets! Pet stores don't usually stock them so most Mantis pets are found outside. They may shy away from their owners or try to fake you out with their forearms as they and almost every other animal with any sort of survival instinct know that big things eat little things. They get used to humans as well as living in captivity fast though. After awhile, they are able to recognize their owners face. They can even be trained to eat pieces of meat off of tweezers. They don't need much space, enough to be able to move about and hunt. I find that plastic containers like this are perfect. Just drill multiple air holes in the lid and fill the container about 18th of the way with dirt. It's also highly recommended that you put some foliage in their to help the Mantis feel a bit more at home and not as vulnerable as he would in just an empty tank. Sadly the only drawback for the Mantis as a pet is their relatively short life spans being about three months, so if you do find yourself owning a Mantis, try not to get too attached to him or her. I'm very proud of this highlight, so I'd love to hear your thoughts and opinions. And while we're talking about mantises, I'm looking for some people to join a role play of mine that involves one particularly remarkably Praying Mantis. Check it out here if your interested.