Do they play?

[hibiscusmile]

Reading another post, got to thinking about mantis babies playing like kittens? What do you think? Do they play like kittens or puppies playing with a string or ball when they are grabbing another mantis?

 

[Savechanges]

They play a game called im gonne eat you first

 

[aNisip]

Insect invertebrates, including but not limited to mantids, do not "play". When we see kittens playing with a ball of yarn, they are practicing coordination skills, hunting skills, and the like. They need the activity and brain stimulation to develop correctly. When they 'play' with each other, they are practicing who will be the more dominant and who will be more submissive cat.

 

[Rick]

The evolution of play behavior is pretty interesting. It generally has some higher purpose like Andrew mentioned. I have never heard of any evidence for play behavior in an insect.

 

[aNisip]

Yup, there is a generally a higher purpose for it. As in humans kids (and some adults ) the play to have fun, but in actuality while it may br fun, they are practicing vital skills.

 

[hibiscusmile]

As do all Gods creatures, each thing we do weather playing or working is developing a skill. I just wonder if we think they don't play, or is it that we do not

really know enough to judge that?

 

[aNisip]

They dont Rebecca. Mantids dont really have to 'practice' skills. (At least through playing). Yes by the time a mantids is adults, its strike has been refined by 'practicing' on prey its younger life, but you wont see a mantis put a fly a certain distance away, then striking at it to practice. There is still a lot we dont know, but there really isn't anything to prove it.

 

[hibiscusmile]

hummm, ok, then that means mine can play! :tt2: tks

 

[happy1892]

Mantises and cockroaches might remember or learn. I have had an adult male Chinese Mantis that mismolted and its front legs were bad and could barely grab. I kept hand feeding it. It's personality was aggressive so it was probably not too bad off just bad limbs and wings. After a while it started eating the food that it dropped on the ground by bending down so it could bite and eat the dead bugs guts. Then I did not even have to put the food to its mouth and when I put the food on the ground in front of him then he would imediately bend down and eat. I have a young female cockroach that I caught outside a few months ago (Probably Ischnoptera deropeltiformis, but could be Parcoblatta bolliana). She stays inside the same rolled up leaf in her little cup like container. There are several other leaves in the container. The other Parcoblatta that share the container sometimes are in that leaf but usually are in other leaves or underneath other leaves. When I move her out of the leaf to look at her or whatever she is back in the leaf when I check on her the next day or few days later, I have done that several times and she comes back always. I think she has gotten used to that leaf.

 

[hibiscusmile]

post a pic of her please.

 

[Krissim Klaw]

Mine play all the time. I can never get them off the interwebz, video games, and TV. They insist they are cyber bugs.

 

[Rick]

Mantises and cockroaches might remember or learn. I have had an adult male Chinese Mantis that mismolted and its front legs were bad and could barely grab. I kept hand feeding it. It's personality was aggressive so it was probably not too bad off just bad limbs and wings. After a while it started eating the food that it dropped on the ground by bending down so it could bite and eat the dead bugs guts. Then I did not even have to put the food to its mouth and when I put the food on the ground in front of him then he would imediately bend down and eat. I have a young female cockroach that I caught outside a few months ago (Probably Ischnoptera deropeltiformis, but could be Parcoblatta bolliana). She stays inside the same rolled up leaf in her little cup like container. There are several other leaves in the container. The other Parcoblatta that share the container sometimes are in that leaf but usually are in other leaves or underneath other leaves. When I move her out of the leaf to look at her or whatever she is back in the leaf when I check on her the next day or few days later, I have done that several times and she comes back always. I think she has gotten used to that leaf.

Learning is seen in many taxa.

 

[Digger]

Warm day today and the first few flies of the season were about. One plump one landed on Tiffany's Kritter Keeper and walked around. Tiffany was thrilled and definitely wanted to play with her new-found friend. So I captured the fly and put it in with Tiffany. They scampered and frolicked; laughed and giggled. It was heartwarming.

Then Tiffany ate ed her friend.

 

[hibiscusmile]

haha, good way to let them know it is time to go home, as I wanna sleep!

 

[happy1892]

Learning is seen in many taxa.

Guess I am not proving anything then LOL. It is already known that insects learn.