Unexpected suprise.

[stephanbakir]

Kayla was running low on snake food so we headed out to the waterfall with my mom and the dogs in the hopes that the dogs would get some exercise while Kayla and I went fishing for snake food (her watersnakes eat fish)
We got about 30 shiners and started back to the van, on our way we found this little guy.
Sorry for the terrible picture... I really need a new camera...
We took him home because I accidentally hurt his leg catching him, but he took a roach right off the tongs so there is hope for him!

[youngster]

Is it a bug or a lizard? :P Can't tell

[Snakefood]

praying mantis???

[ZARADOZIA]

hehe It's a male praying mantis. Very Nice. They are good luck, treat him well!

[TeaNinja]

i was walking home from high school years ago and my shoulder brushed a bush. i look over and there is a praying mantis just hanging out on my shoulder. i brought it with me to my friends and put it on a chair. another kid came over and saw it and thought it was fake for a second. he reached towards it saying "wow i thought that thing was real!" then it swept its claw at him and he was like O.O OMG lol. i ended up putting it back in the bush a few minutes later, but it was good for a laugh :)

[Kayla90]

He's such a pretty colour.. It was my first time seeing one, I did a double take at first when I noticed it.. I thought he was a bunch of leaves... but then he started moving and I got excited...


hehe It's a male praying mantis. Very Nice. They are good luck, treat him well!

How can you tell the difference between a male and a female?

[ZARADOZIA]

He's such a pretty colour.. It was my first time seeing one, I did a double take at first when I noticed it.. I thought he was a bunch of leaves... but then he started moving and I got excited...




How can you tell the difference between a male and a female?


Just a guess really but to tell the difference count the segments on their abdomen. If the abdomen has 6 segments, it's a female. If it has 8, is a male. Females also have wider abdomens than males.

Unusual factoid - Did you know that to initiate mating, the female rips the males head off? True Story.

Here's some good info for you: Praying Mantid Information (http://insected.arizona.edu/mantidinfo.htm)

[Kayla90]

Bahaha Yes I knew that.. I always found that fascinating about them. Though it is kinda weird if you think about it in the way that female preying mantis's are necrophiliacs ... BAHAHA

I'll check later today to see how many segments it has.. Thanks for the info :D

[RandyRhoads]

Unusual factoid - Did you know that to initiate mating, the female rips the males head off? True Story.



Not always. Mine mated without hurting the male...untill the end when she ate ALL of him. And I read somewhere that them eating the male after mating is more likely not to happen than it is to happen.