# WTF?!?!?! Monster Mandibles!



## Precarious (Sep 9, 2011)

Anyone ever see mandibles like this? Looks like the Predator!

Someone sent this mantis to me with no description. No ideas what it is. It's a weird fleshy color but otherwise looks like a large Sphodromantis of some kind. It's constantly flexing its jaws and it's freaking me out!


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## gripen (Sep 9, 2011)

holy ######!


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## mantiscraze (Sep 9, 2011)

WOW! Feeders Watch out!


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## angelofdeathzz (Sep 9, 2011)

Not cool at all Bro, showing pics of me before my morning coffee! :angry:


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## ShieldMantid1997 (Sep 9, 2011)

video it eating!


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## patrickfraser (Sep 9, 2011)

Whoah! Talk about a bite that would hurt. Those would definitely leave a mark!


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## ismart (Sep 9, 2011)

Woah!


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## guapoalto049 (Sep 9, 2011)

"You're one ugly motha****** !"

-Arnold Schwarzenegger :gunsmilie: 

Those mandibles look eerily familar...like another mantid body part...hmmm....


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## gripen (Sep 9, 2011)

i smell photo shop :shifty: .


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## gripen (Sep 9, 2011)

come on precarious tell us more.


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## psyconiko (Sep 9, 2011)

PREDATOR


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## lunarstorm (Sep 9, 2011)

Nice, here's my specimen. We should mate 'em!


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## gripen (Sep 9, 2011)

i can see your reading this so pleaseeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee give us more info/pictures i am dying over here.


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## Precarious (Sep 9, 2011)

OK, that's not the whole truth. But the truth is even more amazing...

Last night I had a strange dream. In it something crashed in the woods close by. I was up really late and I'd seen it come down shortly after 4 am. I could make out something giving off light - even from my home, which is no small distance - so, with my trusty camera in hand, I decided to investigate. What I found was beyond belief! I can only describe it as a classic flying disk, round and domed on top. I waded through the roiling mist pouring from the juncture where its glowing underside was in contact with the wet underbrush, and as I came to the far side I saw an opened rectangular portal. Acting on impulse and emboldened by a growing surge of adrenalin I climbed in. What I found was a dimly lit circular chamber, looking primitive in its simplicity yet obviously the product of advanced technologies of which I was unfamiliar. My eyes were immediately attracted to a particular component of its design.

It was a small raised platform composed of a material with a deep black, velvety finish, and on it a small figure rhythmically swaying as if in an unfelt breeze. It was a familiar shape, as you can well imagine, and it turned to face me as I approached. There was a sudden flash, an electrical fizzling "pop!" and my awareness quickly faded, all the while my nostrils filling with the comforting scent of ozone.

I woke at home in bed, my head throbbing as if I'd slept too long and far too deeply. As my senses returned so too did the memory of the dream. It had been so real. That's when I looked down to find my shoes lying at the foot of my bed caked in drying mud and the remnants of trampled fauna. A terror washed over me then, as an unthinkable realization thrust to the fore of my mind, draining the blood from my face and extremities as it took shape. Fighting against this impossible thought I rushed to my camera in a mad attempt to quell my growing dread. And there I found a single photo of this _thing_ from another world - its razor lined maw! God save us! It had been real! And it's out there! For God's sake, protect yourselves! Protect your families! It's coming! It's coming for us all!

What's that sound? That faint scratching at my window? I'm on the third floor! What could it possibly be...

Arghhhh...


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## lancaster1313 (Sep 9, 2011)

Upon seeing the photo, my daughter said, "I want that one!" :lol:


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## gripen (Sep 9, 2011)

so it was photo shop.


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## angelofdeathzz (Sep 9, 2011)

Well I hope that very enchanting story is satisfactory for likes of the many(mainly gripen) to see what happens when you go cold turkey. :blink: :lol: 

You should write some short novels, that was marvelous!!!


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## lancaster1313 (Sep 9, 2011)

angelofdeathzz said:


> Not cool at all Bro, showing pics of me before my morning coffee! :angry:


Is it true? I found my long lost twin!


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## angelofdeathzz (Sep 9, 2011)

likebugs said:


> Is it true? I found my long lost twin!


Yes, it's sad but true, I thought I burned all the copies but I guess he snuck one when I wasn't looking(mental note: no more self portraits!)


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## Idolofreak (Sep 9, 2011)

Okay I thought it was cool, realized it was a photoshopped mantis w/ raptors for jaws, but still thought it was really cool looking. Blue Flash, right? BTW AWESOME writing skills! How long did it take you to come up with that story and edit it???


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## Idolofreak (Sep 9, 2011)

Now THESE are monster mandibles.

_Neobarrettia spinosa_

Red-Eye Devil or Greater Arid Land Katydid

Lives in Texas.

I remember Yen had some for sale a while back.


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## Precarious (Sep 9, 2011)




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## angelofdeathzz (Sep 9, 2011)

Now that was far out man, creepy, but far out!


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## gripen (Sep 9, 2011)

Love the photo shop job seamless really. I also like the naritive very well written. You had me fooled for a bit.


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## Precarious (Sep 9, 2011)

Idolofreak said:


> Okay I thought it was cool, realized it was a photoshopped mantis w/ raptors for jaws, but still thought it was really cool looking. Blue Flash, right? BTW AWESOME writing skills! How long did it take you to come up with that story and edit it???


What's Photoshop? Is that a camera store or something? :huh: 

 Just felt like doing something different today. Thought I'd experiment a little. Then I decided I should write that little story for the fun of it. Just made it up as I went along. Ended with a generic HP Lovecraft-inspired ending. Then I decided to do an audio clip as a follow up but I couldn't find a good way to post audio so I embedded it in video. Couldn't stand to leave a still image in the video so I figured out how to make it more interactive with the audio. I had to manually control that lens flair effect using key frames (if that means anything to anybody). Kind of a pain in the butt, but I learned some new things in the process.

And you are exactly right - Blue Flash. Good call!

Here's the original photo:


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## Precarious (Sep 9, 2011)

gripen said:


> Love the photo shop job seamless really. I also like the naritive very well written. You had me fooled for a bit.


Thanks man. Just having some fun.


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## gripen (Sep 9, 2011)

Did you mix in a tiger beetles mandibles or something.


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## Precarious (Sep 9, 2011)

gripen said:


> Did you mix in a tiger beetles mandibles or something.


No. I just cut and copied the raptor on the left side, resized and rotated it, then copied and inverted on the horizontal plane to create both sides of the mouth. I then blended them in with the face using a layer mask to fade the edges to make a smooth transition. Did a few other things to make it blend better, like slight gaussian blur since the claws had tighter focus than the lower portion of the face. Then added a slight drop shadow underneath. Little things like that can make all the difference.


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## Precarious (Sep 9, 2011)




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## Idolofreak (Sep 10, 2011)

Cool kaleidoscope pic! What editing software do you use?


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## Precarious (Sep 10, 2011)

Idolofreak said:


> Cool kaleidoscope pic! What editing software do you use?


I did that in Photoshop CS4 with the PixelBender addon.


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## twolfe (Sep 10, 2011)

Cool stuff! You did a great job on modifying the blue flash. I'd be afraid if they really looked like that. The video is great.

I'll have to try out the PixelBlender addon. Looks fun.


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## Precarious (Sep 11, 2011)

Tammy Wolfe said:


> Cool stuff! You did a great job on modifying the blue flash. I'd be afraid if they really looked like that. The video is great.
> 
> I'll have to try out the PixelBlender addon. Looks fun.


Thanks. PixelBender is a lot of fun for scrambling images.


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## animalexplorer (Oct 19, 2011)

Hilarious! I love the video especially. Disruption in communication can only mean one thing...."Invasion!"


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