Disturbing Mating Habit: You've been warned

[mantiscraze]

First of all, thanks for all the interest in the grizzled mantis. They've all been claimed for and I don't have any surplus to ship at the moment. If you are still interested, let me know and I'll keep you posted.

So I kept 2 adult females and 2 adult males. I find them to be quite communal, so I kept all 4 in the same enclosure. So far, no one has been harmed. I only occasionally watch over them. The females are getting quite plump, so I'm expecting ooth soon.

Anyways, I was glancing over the enclosure, when I saw one of the males stalk next to the other male. Initially, I thought that it was trouble, some cannibalism is about to happen and I need to stop it. Then, before I knew it, the male has jumped up and clamped onto the other's back with the raptor arms around the shoulders of the wings and started to...anyways, it was very unexpected and disturbing, so I just snapped 2 quick images, and that was it. I left them to whatever that they were doing.

Here are the images...

Yes, the first one is blurry. I just didn't care to take too many pics that's all. In the 2nd, you can clearly see 2 males, due to their slender abdomen, and their elongated wings that cover the entire body length and more.

 

[ismart]

Whoa! Gay mantids! :lol:

 

[mantiscraze]

LOL, I hope the ooths are fertile. Anyways, the adults were plump and WC, so I'm not too worried.

Whoa! Gay mantids! :lol:

 

[lancaster1313]

:lol: I doubt that the mounted male was a willing partner.

I have had male mantids that didn't know or care what they were mounting. The "victim" doesn't have to be a mantid, or even an animate object.

 

[patrickfraser]

Here we go with "homo animals" again

 

[Idolofreak]

Whoa. :blink: :lol:

 

[Precarious]

Crazy things can happen in prison. :blink:

 

[agent A]

I've had mantises try to mate with my finger, they get so lonely sometimes, good thing I can make good mantises out of clay... :lol: