# threat pose question



## chris_photo (May 6, 2007)

What causes a mantis to go into threat pose?

I've had two adult mantises so far (California and Perviuan) and I never see them go into a threat pose.

Is there any way I can excite them into doing this?


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## OGIGA (May 6, 2007)

I want to find out too. Somebody said before that stroking their wings will do the trick, but I had no success.


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## Rick (May 6, 2007)

A perceived threat maybe?


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## chris_photo (May 6, 2007)

I see photos of mantids with threat poses. Was it just luck or can they be "trained" to do it on command?


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## Rick (May 6, 2007)

> I see photos of mantids with threat poses. Was it just luck or can they be "trained" to do it on command?


If they perceive a threat they will do it. Some individuals are more prone to do it than others. None of my group right now have ever done it but I have had plenty of mantids do it.


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## captainmerkin (May 8, 2007)

> > I see photos of mantids with threat poses. Was it just luck or can they be "trained" to do it on command?
> 
> 
> If they perceive a threat they will do it. Some individuals are more prone to do it than others. None of my group right now have ever done it but I have had plenty of mantids do it.


the only thing that got close to scaring mine enough was the cat, but my cat got more scared than the mantis and ran off looking stupid ( but then again she runs away from my wallet as well)


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## chris_photo (May 8, 2007)

I've tried a few things but no luck so far.

I've tried using a mirror in front of her and I also taunted her with a stick. :shock:

Stroking her wings doesn't do a thing either.


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## jplelito (May 8, 2007)

One thing I've noticed is mantids kept in enclosures they cannot see out of - these tend to be a lot more easily startled, they look up at you when you open the lid and flatten out as nymphs, and the adults are more prone to going into a deimatic display.

But again some do it, some don't. The easiest ones to get to do the display in my experience have been _Parasphendale agrionina_ and _Cilnia humeralis_ - these latter, even as nymphs, are always getting annoyed and threatening me.

I raised ghost mantids for a while - these play dead but do not perform deimatic displays. Some flower mantids can be induced but it is harder, and to my knowledge _Hymenopus_ is not one of the species that does it. _Creobroter_ and _Pseudocreobotra_ do, though.


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