Monday, September 21, 2009

Big mantis

Praying mantis (Mantis religiosa)We are finally starting to see some grown praying mantis (Mantis religiosa). This one was out the other day patiently waiting for a tasty bug to come along. They will sit still for a long time and then at just the right moment, with amazing quickness, reach out that long spiny foreleg and grab an insect flying by. That is why the mantis is a symbol of patience and stillness in some cultures. Wonder what it means that the female will often eat the head of her male partner after mating.
Posted by Joan at 7:00 PM

2 comments:

  1. WSeptember 21, 2009 at 7:26 PM

    Amazingly, also, BEFORE mating, as this apparently makes the entire process easier for everyone involved.

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  2. JoanSeptember 21, 2009 at 8:23 PM

    and yet another source says WHILE mating....hmm, maybe one day we can capture the evnet on film to find out which it really is. And yet another source says that this is much more common in captive mantis than those in the wild.

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