How to provoke a threat pose?

[-MK-]

I know this is kind of a stupid question, but how do most of the people here get their threat pose photos? Are they just in the right place at the right time, or is there a gentle but effective technique? I have a large female Chinese who is very laid back and friendly, and also getting up there age-wise. I don't want to stress her out, but I bet she would look absolutely ferocious if she were to do the pose when I had a camera set up. I don't have another mantis or any other pets to use as instigators. Any advice?

 

[ZoeRipper]

This isn't a very helpful post, I know, sorry, but if/when you get this to happen, post pics?

 

[-MK-]

This isn't a very helpful post, I know, sorry, but if/when you get this to happen, post pics?

Haha - yeah, of course - if they're any good!

 

[ZoeRipper]

Huh, I've done my best to try and find out how to do it.

Maybe get like tweezers or something longer and come towards her without touching her?

I don't know, I'm just a noob!

Lol, say something about her weight.

That'd get ME riled.

 

[Matticus]

If I really want a threat pose, I usually poke a finger towards the face, and if that's not enough, I poke at the forearms a bit. In my experience males go into threat pose much more easily than females, although I've had 4 females and 2 males, so that's a low sample size.

 

[Rick]

The finger in the face often will do it. Some mantids won't do it at all and some will easily. Sometimes you really gotta annoy them.

 

[[email protected]]

I know if i put a male in with my very fat ready to lay females that occasionally provokes her.

 

[ismart]

Tell her she's fat! :lol: That should really piss her off! :lol:Or you could flapp your arms in the air and pretend your a bird or bat. Make a lot of bird/bat noises. The higher pitch the better! :lol: Don't forget to get this all on video! But in all seriousness, grab her abdomin gently, and keep doing it. This should get her to attack you!

 

[bassist]

But in all seriousness, grab her abdomin gently, and keep doing it. This should get her to attack you!

This.

Gently just 'hold' the abdomen with two fingers with very little pressure.

 

[Katnapper]

Presenting her with a larger than usual food prey item (like a big roach or worm) and taunt her in the face with it is worth a try. I'd never seen my female P. chlorophaea's display any threat postures until one day I tried to hand feed a waxworm to one... and she freaked out. Poor girl was terrified of it!

 

[Ntsees]

For me, I just put my mantid in a jar/etc. and show them to my birds (or you can show them to wild birds). They peck the jar and the mantid automatically goes into threat posture. My mantids are a little too tame and pushing my finger into their face won't do anything. They just turn around slowly and try to escape. Even if they get annoyed too much (like me gently pinching their abdomen), they just turn around and grab my finger(s) with partial or no wings open. Because of that, I don't bother physically trying to get them to do their pose.

 

[-MK-]

I tried poking my finger at her face and she just stared at me as if to say, "That wasn't very polite." :lol: If I poke at her front legs, she just tries to climb onto my hand. Like I said, I don't have any other critters to provoke her, so I guess the only thing left to try is to "goose" her? The ideas about making jokes about her weight cracked me up because she is quite plump. Trouble is, she doesn't understand English - only Chinese.

 

[ZoeRipper]

Tell her that her boyfriend cheated on her with her best friend.

If that doesn't work, then tell her that they're getting married.

Tell her that her best friend is already pregnant.

OHSNAP.

 

[-MK-]

Tell her that her boyfriend cheated on her with her best friend.If that doesn't work, then tell her that they're getting married.

Tell her that her best friend is already pregnant.

OHSNAP.

Haha - all good ideas, Zoe, but I don't speak Chinese.

 

[ZoeRipper]

I took Chinese back in high school.

I don't remember much, but I could probably count to ten rather angrily at her.

Yi er san si wu liu qi ba jiu shi!

Pronounced ee are sahn soo whoa lyoh chee bah jyoh shee.

also the number song..

I don't remember the actual words but it sounded like

"Ee are san su woh lyo chee! Woh de pong yo dai na-a lee! Sai jen ya, sai hai jow! wo de pung yo jai na-a lee!"

Which means something along the lines of

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8!

All my friends can find me

All my friends, friends find me

All my friends at promontory.

Actually here's the link to the vid:

http://v.ku6.com/show/VPQk6PWUto7B89KA.html

 

[Rick]

 

[bassist]

That's something you don't see often from Hymenopus.

 

[Rick]

That's something you don't see often from Hymenopus.

Doesn't take much with this one.

 

[d17oug18]

lol, ive gotten a partial threat pose with a unicorn female, and when i tryed to do it to my male S limbata he just flew away lol.