Costa Rica Mantids

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animalexplorer

animalexplorer

Well-known member
Joined
Oct 31, 2007
Messages
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Location
Kent, Washington
Well, I didn't find the one I was looking for but I did find a couple species. Trying to photograph everything that

moved seem a bit distracting while locating mantids. The one on the orchid was very well hidden in the darker tones

of the orchid, as if it were part of the flower itself. It was waiting to ambush a victim, but clumsy me got too close

and spooked the little fellow and it started to flee.

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A boxer is what I thought when I first looked at it too. Either way they are all neat looking creatures. I plan to go back and hopefully find the Hooded mantis (Choerododis rhombifolia). There is a really cool moss mantid that I wouldn't mind coming across. :)

 
Cool! I'd like to see and hear more about your trip, how do you go about finding wild mantids in Costa Rica? Any other fun bugs, plants, or animals? etc etc. :)

 
They are not the easiest critters to find with all the foliage around, but I would usually find the mantids around the tops of plants and flowers waiting to select their next meal that comes either crawling or flying by. They are excellent ambush predators as we all know and by looking at the flowers that provide pollen, it is a short trip to the candy shop for mantids. Costa Rica is very diverse when it comes to wildlife, I have taken many shots of all sorts of cool creatures while down there:

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Wow man! Nice. Is this just something you do for fun or work related? If you've got a site or blog, I'd enjoy seeing more.

The amount of photography talent on these boards makes me ... wanna buy a camera and travel to exotic lands! My shots might suck but at least I can come here to beg for help. :)

 
Great pics! I hope to have a bunch myself with the same quality as yours. I head out to the central Amazon for 2 weeks in Jan.

 
The Bats Picture and the Tucanes are so amazing pictures!!!!!!!, well the Dendro is so great also, with that leaf...... mmmm... I love all of them :p .

saludos

 
lunarstorm said:
Wow man! Nice. Is this just something you do for fun or work related? If you've got a site or blog, I'd enjoy seeing more.

I do it for a living, but it's not easy as it is very competitive, there are lots of incredible nature/wildlife photographers out there.

The amount of photography talent on these boards makes me ... wanna buy a camera and travel to exotic lands! My shots might suck but at least I can come here to beg for help. :)

Practice, practice ,practice!...It's the thing that makes you better. :)
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ShieldMantid1997 said:
Did you happen to collect at all?

It's very difficult to bring back living organism to the states, there is a lot of paperwork involved, and I never really explored that possibility in depth. It is possible though as I have some friends who import certain animals.
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yen_saw said:
As usual, wondeful pics Paul. Glad you have a good trip in Costa Rica.

Thanks Yen! I would have to say Costa Rica is my favorite places to visit. It will always keep a photographer very busy, but mostly content.
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patrickfraser said:
Beautiful photos. The bat huddle is adorable.

This was a shot I always wanted and didn't want to miss the opportunity. They were way up in the tree, so I had to use my 600mm lens to get this shot. I had to lay on the ground hand holding this huge lens pointing straight up. Normally one would use a tripod but I couldn't get the angle directly pointed up due to the contraint of the swivel mount. I also used remote flashes that I laid on the ground pointing upward to add more light. Tough shot but well worth it. Thanks!
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rs4guy said:
Great pics! I hope to have a bunch myself with the same quality as yours. I head out to the central Amazon for 2 weeks in Jan.

You'll have fun, I have been to the Amazon many times and it has proven to be rewarding everytime, so hold on your gonna have a fun ride!
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Mexxico Ghost said:
The Bats Picture and the Tucanes are so amazing pictures!!!!!!!, well the Dendro is so great also, with that leaf...... mmmm... I love all of them :p .

Animals, animal, animals, I never can get enough. Every time I go to sleep, instead of counting sheep jumping over a fence, I see things like frogs, mantids, basilisk, colugos, tarsiers,ect... Thanks and sweet dreams! :)

saludos
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agent A said:
did u catch a bat or tucan? :p they r so cool! very cuddly bats lol

I have actually caught toucans helping out at Emerald Forest Bird Gardens which is were I'll be at in January. Bats are really cool and I'm starting to dig them even more. I plan to do more bat photography, I have new gear just for the occassion.
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Idolofreak said:
I LOOOOVVE the bats pic! They look so fuzzy and cuddly! :wub:

I wish I could have one for a pet. We had one bunking with us at Los Cusingos. I tried to flush him outside but it would not go out the door, eventually the darn thing perched on this crack inbetween the wall and ceiling were I thought it would roost for awhile, but it didn't stop there, it actually managed to squeeze through the tiny crack and "POOF!" it was gone, I was so amazed that it did that. Thanks!
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Last edited by a moderator:
animalexplorer said:
Well, I didn't find the one I was looking for but I did find a couple species. Trying to photograph everything that

moved seem a bit distracting while locating mantids. The one on the orchid was very well hidden in the darker tones

of the orchid, as if it were part of the flower itself. It was waiting to ambush a victim, but clumsy me got too close

and spooked the little fellow and it started to flee.

14804776-lg.jpg
Click to expand...
It is Antemna rapax, should be a female nymph.

The picture of the adult female was posted in this topic.

 

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