Hercules Budwing Nymph

[Mvalenz]

I fed my budwing nymphs their first crixs today. I had to film it it was so cute. Its so funny how it shakes the crix after pulling it off the branch. Then it prances around with it and holds it in the air to show the world how bad a*s it is. And these crix were at least 2/3 their size. I'm naming this one Hercules.

 

[angelofdeathzz]

Budwings are bad az?!!! no matter who say what?

 

[gripen]

Budwings are bad az?!!! no matter who say what?

My Popa could do that... LOLThey are very strong cool bugs. Good luck with them!

 

[Mvalenz]

Thanks Gripen.

And yes, angelofdeatzz, they are bad az. I wasn't sure if they would go after them because the crix were almost as big as them. But they devoured them.

 

[stacy]

beast

 

[Crazy4mantis]

lol. imagine you were the cricket...

 

[sueb4653]

what a show off LOL

 

[Mvalenz]

lol. imagine you were the cricket...

I think that all the time. I wonder if there were giant praying mantis in prehistoric times that could just snatch you up.

 

[agent A]

I think that all the time. I wonder if there were giant praying mantis in prehistoric times that could just snatch you up.

As far as I know mantises evolved during the Cretaceous when the oxygen in the air wasn't great enough to allow for giant insects anymore...

 

[hierodula]

Its thought that mantids were first vegetarians because a few years ago, scientists found some amber with a mantis nymph in it. It dated 55 mya and the mantis had no spines and a slightly different head, more vertical than horizontal. You could probably find the article of you googled it but thats what i remember anyway.

 

[psyconiko]

Are you sure of the period/date?

As far as I know there is only one species of praying mantis with spines from the late cretaceous period.It was found trapped in amber(japan/2008).

It is a very interesting species because as you mentionned none of the few mantis from the cretaceous have spines.But this fossil is dated 87 M years so it is not the same timeperiod.Cretaceous was 60-65 M years ago....then you got the "Cretaceous-Paleogene event"that leads to Tertiary period. it seems only praying mantis species with spines would survive and give what scientists call "modern mantis"(9 to 10 known fossils).

Maybe some species with no spines survived the "event" but then rapidly extinguish because they all have spines today.

Vegetarians yes,and scavangers!Mantis ancestors are Roachoids!

Cannot find any new found fossils dated 55 M years ago thats why I am asking. :cowboy: Only 3 known fossils dated 60 M years found in France(got the names but so tough to write down ahahah...).