know when to quit

[massaman]

just also wondering does a mantis know when to stop eating even if their a preg.fat female so they dont injure themselves and seems those that rupture at the sides are being forced or given more food then they can handle maybe?I am saying this cause one of my males was i think dying a slow death and decided to give him to one of my preg females and hope it dont do more harm then good!

 

[agent A]

Pregnant females lay better eggs with better food. When she is full, she's full.

 

[superfreak]

Pregnant females lay better eggs with better food. When she is full, she's full.

Strange how its ok when the mantid is fed to another mantid, hey?

 

[agent A]

She didn't show pictures. And she was only thinking of it. She never said she actually fed him to her.

 

[massaman]

uhh i am a him and no i did not end up giving the dying mantis to my female as i just gave it a water burial and flushed him

 

[PhilinYuma]

uhh i am a him and no i did not end up giving the dying mantis to my female as i just gave it a water burial and flushed him

Back to your original question, Massaman! As you know, mammals have a feedback sytem that responds to fullness of the stomach (the stomach doesn't have to contain useful nutrients, merely be full), mediated by a part of the brain (hypothalamus?) called the appestat which"tells" us when to stop eating

Insects have a much more complex food intake regulatory system, and opportunistic predators, like mantids, who have to eat as much as they can when they can, can store very large amounts of food in their crop (foregut). They will stop feeding when full, and also when about to molt or, sometimes, about to lay eggs. Note that the appearance of fullness in a female is often due to a large number of eggs and the proteinaceous material in the abdomen.

Not quite sure what you mean by "better food," A. Protein, protein and more protein seems to be the path to success for a female mantis's fecundity. There have been studies that suggest that a female who eats her mate after mating will be more fecund, but I know of no studies that show that such a meal is more nutritious than, say, a cricket (a cigarette can be nice, too ).

 

[superfreak]

! you flushed your mantis?! haha! should throw it into the garden where it'll do more good

And Alex, you needn't be scared of a picture - its not going to make you do anything against your will, you're not going to start ripping the heads off your mantids or anything Its just a picture. The fact remains with or without it.