Yesterday's uninvited guest

@TheHorse (203694)
Walnut Creek, California
October 10, 2020 1:17pm CST
there are certain times of the year when praying mantises visit me, but I've never charted when those times are. I can get very close to them (a few inches) and they won't move. They'll just watch me with their swivelly heads. If I recall correctly, they have strong jaws and eat bugs, but I've never seen one eat. I think I read that females have larger abdomens than males. Earlier this year I got bold and picked one up so I could put it one a bush in front of my apartment. I've read that they can bite humans, but it didn't bite me. Do you have praying mantises where you live? Have you ever picked one up? I guess I'll be doing a bit of Googling today. I assume they migrate, as I only rarely see them, but I don't know.
14 people like this
13 responses
@DianneN (246452)
• United States
10 Oct 20
So funny! I wrote a post a couple of days ago with a praying mantis.
2 people like this
@TheHorse (203694)
• Walnut Creek, California
10 Oct 20
I'll look for it! Since we're both teachers, let's research them a bit. I'll check whether they migrate (unless your post covers that). What would you want to know?
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@DianneN (246452)
• United States
10 Oct 20
@TheHorse Most live in the tropics and the ones we see are exotic species. They have 2 eyes usually, but only one ear. Females can eat their mates. That's all I know and care to know
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@DianneN (246452)
• United States
10 Oct 20
@TheHorse Just be careful when you step into a field.
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@owlwings (43915)
• Cambridge, England
10 Oct 20
We don't have praying mantises in the UK but I have known people keep them in a vivarium as 'pets'. They do occur in the Mediterranean and can be found as far north as Southern Germany, I believe. They only live for about a year so I expect that your 'visitors' lay eggs and die each year rather than migrate. Mostly they eat small insects but some are known to catch and eat hummingbirds.
The vampirish look of the mantis makes this clip even more scary. The Hummingbird did escape this time, but the mantis did kill another bird about a week later.
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@owlwings (43915)
• Cambridge, England
11 Oct 20
@TheHorse The mantis isn't particularly large, in fact it's a good deal lighter than the bird, I'd say. Yet it is able to catch the bird and hold on to it and would probably have started eating it, too, had it been left alone. Very scary! I guess that distress calls must have sounded much the same since the very earliest dinosaurs - high-pitched and repetitive.
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@TheHorse (203694)
• Walnut Creek, California
11 Oct 20
@owlwings It also has that downward "pitch inflection," like an American (and also English?) kid going "Aww" when you tell them they can't have ice cream right now.
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@TheHorse (203694)
• Walnut Creek, California
10 Oct 20
Wow! Great video! Isn't it interesting that some things are (semi-) universal across the animal kingdom? You can tell that the hummingbird is issuing a distress call. It doesn't sound that different from a dog who's just been hurt.
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@stringer321 (5643)
• Kiryat Ata, Israel
10 Oct 20
Praying mantis is a strong bug. It can eat many kinds of bugs. How did you pick up the mantis? Try to feed the Mantis with cockroaches. It can be interesting you will see how it uses his arms and jaws.
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@TheHorse (203694)
• Walnut Creek, California
10 Oct 20
Check @owlwings's video, attached to this post. They'll go after some pretty big critters.
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• Kiryat Ata, Israel
10 Oct 20
@TheHorse I would use gloves, I wouldn't like to pick up bugs with my bare hands. -_-
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@TheHorse (203694)
• Walnut Creek, California
10 Oct 20
I think I put a hand in front of it and tapped the back of its abdomen with my finger. It stayed on my hand long enough that I could relocate it to a safer place.
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@Dena91 (15758)
• United States
10 Oct 20
Yes we have them here, seems more this year than in recent past. Never heard that they would bite a human but then again they are an insect. Let us know what you learn about them.
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@TheHorse (203694)
• Walnut Creek, California
10 Oct 20
Well, I don't like the fact that females sometimes bite the males' heads off during mating because it makes the males less inhibited lovers. I broke up with the human gal who tried to do that to me.
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@Dena91 (15758)
• United States
11 Oct 20
@CarolDM (203478)
• Nashville, Tennessee
10 Oct 20
Yes we have them here in TN. I wrote about one a few weeks ago. But I have never tried to pick one up.
Was out snapping photos of the bluebirds and saw this praying mantis hanging out on the hummingbird feeder. Try to sneak up on a praying mantis, and you may be...
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@TheHorse (203694)
• Walnut Creek, California
10 Oct 20
I have a hummingbird feeder out right now. I'll check out the video. Did you see the one that @owlwings posted here?
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@CarolDM (203478)
• Nashville, Tennessee
11 Oct 20
@TheHorse Unfortunately I did.
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@TheHorse (203694)
• Walnut Creek, California
11 Oct 20
@CarolDM I'm glad the human intervened.
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@sophie09 (34278)
• Indonesia
11 Oct 20
i dont find this praying mantis where i live, but when i visited a village on last january i think i saw some
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@TheHorse (203694)
• Walnut Creek, California
11 Oct 20
They tend to thrive in warmer climates, I think.
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@TheHorse (203694)
• Walnut Creek, California
11 Oct 20
@sophie09 That's what I assumed.
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@sophie09 (34278)
• Indonesia
11 Oct 20
@TheHorse indonesia has warm climates
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@BarBaraPrz (45226)
• St. Catharines, Ontario
10 Oct 20
I was visited by one about a month ago. It kept rubbing its swivelly head, as if it wasn't sure what it wanted to do.
@jaboUK (64363)
• United Kingdom
10 Oct 20
We don't have them here and I'm not sorry about that - I don't like any creepy crawlies.
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@TheHorse (203694)
• Walnut Creek, California
10 Oct 20
These are really interesting bugs. I think they change colors to blend in with their surroundings as well.
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@Tampa_girl7 (48855)
• United States
10 Oct 20
We do have them, but I’ve never picked one up. Glad that you didn’t get bitten.
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@Tampa_girl7 (48855)
• United States
11 Oct 20
@TheHorse I don’t recall, but here in Mississippi I think they’re average sized.
@TheHorse (203694)
• Walnut Creek, California
10 Oct 20
I wonder if they're bigger in Florida.
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@wolfgirl569 (93527)
• Marion, Ohio
11 Oct 20
I have never been bitten by one and pick them up a lot. Those feet do feel funny with the way they grip you. I dont think the migrate. I do know the female rips the males head off after mating.
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@TheHorse (203694)
• Walnut Creek, California
11 Oct 20
I like to joke about it (black widow spiders sometimes do the same). But I've really had only one girlfriend (when I was quite young) who reminded me of such six- and eight-legged critters.
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@MALUSE (69428)
• Germany
10 Oct 20
The internet tells me that this insect can also be found in Germany. I haven't seen one yet, though. I've also learnt that they don't bite and aren't dangerous for people. So boldness isn't needed when one encounters a specimen.
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@TheHorse (203694)
• Walnut Creek, California
10 Oct 20
Slightly off-topic, but the most beautiful fireflies I've ever seen were at my sister's place in the mountains (hills, really) above Perujia Italy.
@Hannihar (129095)
• Israel
11 Oct 20
@TheHorse Not sure if I have seen them ore not. I would not pick one up.
@LindaOHio (153180)
• United States
11 Oct 20
Very strange. I haven't seen a praying mantis in decades; but a couple of other members have reported and photographed sightings. Maybe they are in large numbers this year. Great picture.