Praying mantis impales and eats humming bird

[Zenos]

http://www.birdwatchersdigest.com/site/images/backyard_birds/Mantis_hummingbird.jpg

http://www.birdwatchersdigest.com/site/images/backyard_birds/Mantis_hummer2.jpg

http://www.birdwatchersdigest.com/site/backyardbirds/hummingbirds/mantis-hummer.aspx?sc=birdwireJul2005

[Alex Linder]

Wow. Praying mantises are definitely one of the more interesting insects. Now is the time of year when you can find them around.

[Dan Allan]

Cool find. Those guys are much stronger than they look, to be able to hold that bird and eat it at the same time.

[MarkP]

It's quite good.

Shows the reality of the Natural world.

[Dan_O]

Have you ever been bitten by one?

It hurts.

[MarkP]

Did it swell ?

Was there any toxins ?

[Dan_O]

Did it swell ?

Was there any toxins ?

One summer I worked at a nursery. I had to cut the grass and weeds around the terrace. Out of nowhere It felt like someone shot me right above the ankle with a nail gun. I looked down and there it was. About nine inches long. It took a little chunk out of my leg and swelled up so bad you couldn't even see my ankle. It gave me a cankle. It was almost like a really bad dragonfly bite. It stung pretty bad until I took some antihistamines and put an ice pack on it.

[Mr Murray]

One summer I worked at a nursery. I had to cut the grass and weeds around the terrace. Out of nowhere It felt like someone shot me right above the ankle with a nail gun. I looked down and there it was. About nine inches long. It took a little chunk out of my leg and swelled up so bad you couldn't even see my ankle. It gave me a cankle. It was almost like a really bad dragonfly bite. It stung pretty bad until I took some antihistamines and put an ice pack on it.

Did you stomp it to pieces?

[Dan_O]

Did you stomp it to pieces?

No, but I kicked him and he flew away.

[N.B. Forrest]

Incredible bugs, and damn creepy ones, too. One day I saw a mantis on the door jamb. It turned its head and steadily returned my stare, as if to say "If you were smaller, asshole....". I felt I was being observed by something with far greater intelligence than the average insect.

[Alex Linder]

Incredible bugs, and damn creepy ones, too. One day I saw a mantis on the door jamb. It turned its head and steadily returned my stare, as if to say "If you were smaller, asshole....". I felt I was being observed by something with far greater intelligence than the average insect.

Yeah... indeed.

I've had one that I was holding loosely and it just turned and tried to bite the crap out of my hand. It was too small even to break the skin, but the mentality of these things is pure predator.

[Alex Linder]

I love these upside down stories. I remember this private herpetarium (which put on shows for public, like Ross Allen's in Florida) I visited in Germany, just west of the East Germany border. They would feed pinky mice to a tarantula.

[COTW]

I too find the insect world captivating.

When I was considerably younger I found a praying mantis that was about 3" long and placed it in an old fish aquarium. I had set up the tank with several leafy twigs as I knew it was an ambush predator and they helped it to conceal itself to the unsuspecting prey. From a nearby field I would catch small grasshoppers and place them in the tank to feed it. Invariably in the beginning it would easily catch them but before it could take its first bite they would kick themselves free. This happened numerous times until one time it caught one and immediately chewed the hind legs off once it was caught and it did so from then on. I was absolutely amazed that it learned a hunting behavior for grasshoppers and remembered from then on! After about a week I let it go.

A truly fascinating creature.

[Alex Linder]

I too find the insect world captivating.

When I was considerably younger I found a praying mantis that was about 3" long and placed it in an old fish aquarium. I had set up the tank with several leafy twigs as I knew it was an ambush predator and they helped it to conceal itself to the unsuspecting prey. From a nearby field I would catch small grasshoppers and place them in the tank to feed it. Invariably in the beginning it would easily catch them but before it could take its first bite they would kick themselves free. This happened numerous times until one time it caught one and immediately chewed the hind legs off once it was caught and it did so from then on. I was absolutely amazed that it learned a hunting behavior for grasshoppers and remembered from then on! After about a week I let it go.

A truly fascinating creature.

Good story.

[richyrichard]

Thank God for DDT. :D :swastikasmiley:

[Gabry Ponte]

Don't asian people remind you of insects?