B. Mendica Eating

[athicks]

Hey everyone, I am new here, just got some B. Mendica from Yen and decided to photograph them yesterday.

Just as a background: I found a few flies around my building and fed one of them to a female. The fly was buzzing so hard while being eaten that I thought for sure that it would get away or the mantis would fall. But somehow she hung on as the fly, who weighed as much as she did, struggled to take off.

With that as my background for mantids eating flies, I was a bit cautious while photographing. I taped a tissue down on the background so that the mantis would have something soft to hang on to. I could just imagine my little nymph being carried all over my room by a fly while hanging on tenaciously. So, if you find yourself wondering what the heck a tissue is doing in on the white background, that is the reason.

But, he caught the fly by the wing, so there was no buzzing involved! He jsut went straight for the fly's jugular (or equivalent, haha).

Then he started on an eye...

A close up of him eating the eye...

But, I guess he was not too hungry, or the fly didn't taste good, as he threw the body away after eating only a bit of it.

Then he just looked at the camera. (Oh, and yes that is the fly's head over on the right!)

 

[robo mantis]

Yeah you filled him up

 

[Asa]

Wonderful pictures, but you really shouldn't be feeding it anything that big.

 

[athicks]

Hmm, ya, I was wondering about that. The flies seem huge compared to the mantis. But, the flies aren't armoured or anything like crickets are so the mantises have had no problems handling them. And Yen mentioned that they were large enough to be fed houseflies now.

 

[Asa]

I'd feed it something a little less big.

 

[robo mantis]

I partialy agree with Asa but i think you shouldn't feed it things that big when they are already fat.

 

[athicks]

Thanks for the advice... This is only my third day with them, I was not really sure when they get "fat" (as mantids go). But, I did see those photos of the mantis that ate too much and had bursting problems in the other forum. Thanks!

 

[robo mantis]

thats why i'm here

 

[jmac27]

Sweet pics man.

 

[OGIGA]

Great pictures! I love pictures like that.