Creo dance

[Chivalry]

I got some C. gemmatus nymphs today and I was watching one of them, and I noticed that she is doing this strange walk/behavior that I have seen my C. pictipennis doing, as well. The abdomen/butt wiggles and taps all around as they walk and they make swimming motions with their front legs. I was going to post a video but Flickr won't take it. Bummer.

Anyway, I'm terribly curious as to the purpose of this behavior. Anyone know? Or, any observations on it? Do other species do it?

 

[sinensispsyched]

I've noticed ghost nymphs do it before investigating something.

 

[gripen]

most of my mantids do this.

 

[agent A]

They do it to avoid being cannibalized, it's kinda their wat of saying "dude, I'm one of you, don't kill me!!!"

 

[gripen]

They do it to avoid being cannibalized, it's kinda their wat of saying "dude, I'm one of you, don't kill me!!!"

+1!

 

[hibiscusmile]

haha, it's their tough guy walk, kinda like a swagger! like Fonzie!

 

[Ruaumoko]

Ive seen a lot of Nymphs walk this way

 

[twolfe]

I've seen the swimming motion a lot with the p. wahlbergii nymphs. It was one of the reasons why I enjoyed them.

 

[dlemmings]

I have been watching my new creos closely and they did this alot...plus a cool ninja threat pose, till i seperated them...now they have become more sedentary and move less.

Before, I watched them "stalk" each other and the "hunted" moved in a way that seemed to assuage the agression of the "hunter" with long periods of being very still...till they were comfortably apart and would then focus on the hydei & megs crawlin about. three have molted (L4) i think and i have had two take house flys (the other shows interest but seems to lake the testucular fortitude)

 

[dlemmings]

Ive seen a lot of Nymphs walk this way

haha...i just finished watching "dont mess with the zoltan" and the Fonze has aged...I loved Happy Days

 

[Chivalry]

I named the creo kid who does this all the time Fonzie It's funny cause he intersperses it with "ohmygodohmygod!!" running for the hills and leaping to... somewhere else.

 

[happy1892]

My Gambian Spotted Eye Flower Mantids would do threat poses like that. And usually one would run away. Sometimes both will not run away and they stop threatening each other. Here is a picture. The middle one is threatening the one on the left. The one on the right is answering the one in the middle. The one on the left ran away after the one in the middle turned around. Link.

This one did not seem to be threatening the other one. Link.

 

[Chivalry]

I was going to put the gemmatus together when I get back in town Monday but this morning I noticed one doing the 'dance' and I looked over in the next cup and there's Fonzie with his tiny arms flung out (LOL... too funny. "You want a piece'a dis?"). Hmm... maybe the communal thing won't work now that I've separated them?

 

[Psychobunny]

Creo nymphs are always fun to watch.

They have some neat behaviours.

I have seen this od looking swimming with their front arms, while running in little circles :\

It's also fun to watch them hop around when disturbed.

 

[Mantiskid]

My creos do this all the time.