Thursday, May 10, 2012

Mantis, Mantis, Baby Mantis

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We can spend hours watching the baby mantis go around their enclosure.  We have also put a few in a jar and they are hanging out in a clear container so we can see them better.  And this morning I let a couple out on a stick while I was feeding the rest.  I am sure they would have moved faster if they had known I it was feeding time, but as it was, they were sluggish enough for me to get some pretty good shots of these tiny TINY creatures. 

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At almost a half inch long they are really cute!  But really cute like baby tigers are cute.  You know, something that would gladly eat you if they had the chance.

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This is pretty much the coolest bug study yet.  I have done butterflies, lady bugs, frogs… but I think the mantis take the cake.  They are the coolest creatures to watch!  It’s pretty neat to watch a bug that will turn it’s head and watch you back.  lol!

The things we learn (the next day):

So I went all Hunger Games on my mantis today. I dumped in a bunch of tiny sugar ants thinking 'breakfast' but what I really got was 'war'. It was not so awesome. Two dead, one with only 5 legs. I rescued them before the ants took out any more mantids.

Man! And I even said "May the odds be ever in your favor" before dumping the ants in. Little did I know... the odds WERE in the ants favor. They are like the careers of the bug world. Must go get baby fruit fly larvae now. No aphids to speak of anywhere. Who would have thunk I would be WISHING for aphids on my roses!?!

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