Mantis Head

December 7, 2006 2:05 PM

Insect views from If You Could See How Praying Mantises Hear.
The first picture is of a Phyllocrania paradoxa.
There's more about mantid ears at Yager Labs.
See also Picture Perfect Insects for the how to of it.
posted by y2karl (9 comments total)

This is so freaking cool. I had no idea that mantis eyes didn't' really have pupils. I always thought they did because of how they track you around. Turns out it is just a plain old segmented eye, but the few segments that face you always appear black.
posted by hellphish at 2:54 PM on December 7, 2006

Very cool pictures. Here's someone else who uses the same technique with ants.
posted by tellurian at 3:17 PM on December 7, 2006

If anyone wants to some good-sized mantises as pets, you can get their egg cases at many garden stores. Also they're not shy about inbreeding, so if you seperate them before they all eat eachother you might end up with a few more egg cases.
posted by Citizen Premier at 3:31 PM on December 7, 2006

As for exotics, DeShawn's Mantis Kingdom can provide you a Phyllocrania paradoxa for only $15. Mantid breeder--now there's a job category.
posted by y2karl at 3:47 PM on December 7, 2006

Mantids are the dragons of the insect world: be very grateful that we're bigger than they are.

Last fall, a +3" brown Mantis religiosa took up residence under our home's south-facing wall. She(?) stuck around for a couple of weeks, coming out occasionally to sun-bathe. I'd get down on my hands and knees for a closer look, and she'd snap her head around to get a better look at me.

Nothing like getting the once-over from a bug — I felt like a menu item [via].
posted by cenoxo at 4:21 PM on December 7, 2006

Aww, my mantis just died a couple of weeks ago. Now I'm sad.

Great FPP though y2karl.

hellphish : but the few segments that face you always appear black.

This fascinated me to no end when I first got my mantis, I tried all sorts of crazy tricks to get her to look at something else, before I figured it out.
posted by quin at 4:44 PM on December 7, 2006

I once saw a very large mantis disguised to look like a walking stick. He/she was scrambling over the awning over my back door, to investigate a wasp nest there (a non-aggressive sort of wasp I ignore, since they ignore me). The sound of its scrambling was what drew my eye.

First time I tried to get friendly with a mantis and had it flare its wings and lunge was quite a surprise. I like these critters. Wish my photos were better. I get to see quite a few here in South Africa, but not as pretty as that Malaysian flower mantis!
posted by Goofyy at 8:38 PM on December 7, 2006

Master master
This is recorded thru uh flies ear
'n you have t' have uh flies eye t' see it
It's the thing that's gonna make Captain Beefheart
And his magic band fat
Frank it's the big hit
It's the blimp
posted by StickyCarpet at 4:37 AM on December 8, 2006

I had a wonderful experience meeting a very personable praying mantis in Chicago's Millenium park recently (Sept '06)... It hopped onto me and as I sat and read for 2 hours it would not leave me alone even after I took it off and placed it on a nearby shrub so I started taking some pics... what a fun afternoon! Very enjoyable little critter.....

http://dahliatree.smugmug.com/photos/94912552-L.jpg
http://dahliatree.smugmug.com/photos/94912514-L.jpg
http://dahliatree.smugmug.com/photos/94912519-L.jpg
http://dahliatree.smugmug.com/photos/94912513-L.jpg
http://dahliatree.smugmug.com/photos/94912510-L-1.jpg
http://dahliatree.smugmug.com/photos/94912525-L.jpg
http://dahliatree.smugmug.com/photos/94912548-L.jpg

It seemed to be doing a little "dance" for me at this point:
http://dahliatree.smugmug.com/photos/94912515-L.jpg
posted by dbk at 9:17 PM on December 9, 2006