Praying mantis impales and eats humming bird

Zenos · September 18th, 2009

http://www.birdwatchersdigest.com/si...irdwireJul2005

***Alex Linder*** · September 18th, 2009

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 · September 19th, 2009

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 · September 19th, 2009

It's quite good.

Shows the reality of the Natural world.

Dan_O · September 19th, 2009

Have you ever been bitten by one?

It hurts.

MarkP · September 19th, 2009

Did it swell ?

Was there any toxins ?

Dan_O · September 19th, 2009

Quote:

Originally Posted by MarkP

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 · September 19th, 2009

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dan_O

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 · September 19th, 2009

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mr Murray

Did you stomp it to pieces?

No, but I kicked him and he flew away.

N.B. Forrest · September 22nd, 2009

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*** · September 22nd, 2009

Quote:

Originally Posted by 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.

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*** · September 22nd, 2009

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 · September 22nd, 2009

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*** · September 23rd, 2009

Quote:

Originally Posted by Cracker oftheWhip

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 · September 23rd, 2009

Thank God for DDT.

Gabry Ponte · September 23rd, 2009

Don't asian people remind you of insects?

September 18th, 2009	#1
Zenos Senior Member Join Date: Sep 2005 Posts: 3,514	Praying mantis impales and eats humming bird http://www.birdwatchersdigest.com/si...irdwireJul2005

September 22nd, 2009	#12
*Alex Linder* Administrator Join Date: Nov 2003 Posts: 45,756 Blog Entries: 34	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. Last edited by Alex Linder; September 23rd, 2009 at 01:02 AM.

September 22nd, 2009	#13
COTW Overseer Join Date: Apr 2004 Location: Land of Cotton Posts: 2,602	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. __________________ "To speak his thoughts is every freeman's right, in peace and war, in council and in fight." Homer-The Iliad "The very aim and end of our institutions is just this: that we may think what we like and say what we think." -Justice Oliver Wendell Holmes, Jr.

September 23rd, 2009	#15
richyrichard Banned Join Date: May 2007 Location: Southeast Texas Posts: 933	Thank God for DDT. Last edited by richyrichard; September 23rd, 2009 at 01:29 AM.

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September 19th, 2009	#3
Dan Allan Senior Member Join Date: Jun 2005 Posts: 1,787	Cool find. Those guys are much stronger than they look, to be able to hold that bird and eat it at the same time.

September 19th, 2009	#4
MarkP . Join Date: Sep 2008 Location: England Posts: 764	It's quite good. Shows the reality of the Natural world.

September 19th, 2009	#5
Dan_O Senior Member Join Date: Apr 2008 Location: the gym Posts: 887	Have you ever been bitten by one? It hurts.

September 22nd, 2009	#10
N.B. Forrest Senior Member Join Date: Dec 2003 Location: Virginia, CSA Posts: 11,145	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.

September 23rd, 2009	#16
Gabry Ponte Banned Join Date: Aug 2009 Posts: 2,024	Don't asian people remind you of insects?