idolomantids playing dead

[macro junkie]

i went in to feed the 5th instar nymphs and 1 jumped from the top of the branch and started playing dead..legs stuck up in the air..was the 1st time iv ever seen these do this...Have u seen yours do this yet?

 

[mrblue]

nope. ive only seen them jump down to a lower branch, or sometimes to the floor.

 

[macro junkie]

only ever seen 1 of them do it..i must of really scared him?

 

[ABbuggin]

only ever seen 1 of them do it..i must of really scared him?

You sure did, you scared him to death! :lol: (he isn't dead is he? lol)

 

[Malnra]

I am going to say you might want to brush your teeth before you breathe on the lil guys .. hehehe

just kidding my friend

 

[Birdfly]

Never seen this before but it does sound like a good survival behaviour for a dead leaf mimic, a lot of those do it

 

[Trademark]

That is so weird! One of my L3 Chinese nymphs did something similar. His forelimbs were all stretched out and I thought "well that's weird, is he ok?" As I opened the lid to the tank, he was knocked down and looking lifeless. In fact, he stretched himself out so he looked like a little brown twig. I left him there for a while, and sure enough, he was back at the top acting perfectly normal.

 

[macro junkie]

You sure did, you scared him to death! :lol: (he isn't dead is he? lol)

he or she is fine..this happened a few days ago

 

[macro junkie]

That is so weird! One of my L3 Chinese nymphs did something similar. His forelimbs were all stretched out and I thought "well that's weird, is he ok?" As I opened the lid to the tank, he was knocked down and looking lifeless. In fact, he stretched himself out so he looked like a little brown twig. I left him there for a while, and sure enough, he was back at the top acting perfectly normal.

acromantids do it all the time..also peacockmantids love to do it..i have chinese mantids not seen them do it tho.. i rember my peacock doing it once i really thought he was dead..i even picked him up by the legs and there was no movment..then BAM he gets up and flew away.. :lol:

 

[bugzilla]

My male ghost is the worlds worst for playing dead. At least 5 times I've been convinced he's on his last legs. If he gets really scared he goes nuts on the bottom of the cage then lies totally still on his back <_<

 

[Trademark]

acromantids do it all the time..also peacockmantids love to do it..i have chinese mantids not seen them do it tho.. i rember my peacock doing it once i really thought he was dead..i even picked him up by the legs and there was no movment..then BAM he gets up and flew away.. :lol:

Hahaha, well I feel better now. I was all worried he had some weird.. crippling.. thing or I did something wrong. Thanks, good to know we're not alone.