Mantis Acting Strange

[kmsgameboy]

My adult female Chinese Mantis has been doing something verry unmantid like the last few days! I wonder if it is because she KNOWS that she is THE alpha hunter in her tank...but she has been stalking the FLOOR of her tank! I have never seen or heard of any mantis doing this. Today I fed hr a grasshopper and she did something verry cat like! First she grabbed it and bit at its face and neck...then once it stopped moving to carried it into her !tree! TO FINISH HER MEAL! What are your guys thoughts? Have you seen your mantis do this or anything else strange?

 

[hibiscusmile]

I havent seen the stalking, which mine did, but have seen them take them away to eat, how neat! ps name her Jane, after Tarzans Jane.

 

[kmsgameboy]

I havent seen the stalking, which mine did, but have seen them take them away to eat, how neat! ps name her Jane, after Tarzans Jane.

LOL Nice name idea but she already has a name. This little bugger is my mantid pride and joy. She may be just a common Chinese Mantis but she was my first and we have gotten used to eachother!

 

[charleyandbecky]

Is this the one you found outisde earlier in the summer?

I love my Chinese mantids and my Carolina mantids too. Someday I want to branch out to other ones but these will always be special to me.

 

[Katnapper]

Yes, I've seen them haul their prey up and away from other mantids in the cage, like a leopard does. It's interesting to watch.

 

[superfreak]

they take the prey up higher because theres less chance of it getting a hold of the ground and struggling free. plus its easier to hang down and eat than try to hold the weight of its prey up and eat.

 

[Rick]

I think you're thinking into it a bit too much. Mantids often drag the food up higher and hold it upside down.

 

[massaman]

Also they do drag it off when another mantis or another insect gets to close and love watching them clean themselves like a cat and too bad they cant pur or meow!

 

[kmsgameboy]

Is this the one you found outisde earlier in the summer? I love my Chinese mantids and my Carolina mantids too. Someday I want to branch out to other ones but these will always be special to me.

Yes it is! Im glad you have been keeping up wi m! That mae ! I have a COOLNA AND i ENJOY WATCHING IT EAT AND MOLT BUT i jusdt h sam conectio wth itbecuse it iss darn skitsh The are so hard to adle because hey wil run and jump n aheart beat and they are so fast that they get away from you in the blink of an eye!

 

[The_Asa]

When the food is larger then sometimes they'll just pin it down to the ground...I notice anything winged usually gets taken into the air...partially because its in the air already =P

 

[-MK-]

My Chinese mantids will sometimes go to the floor of their enclosures and just hang out there when they're hungry, as if to say, "Dude, where's my dinner?" Since I've been able to feed them large crickets, they've gotten used to coming down to eat, since the crickets can't climb the plastic walls. This floor-based hunting required developing some new techniques, which sometimes resemble wrestling moves. Also, sometimes they'll haul their catch back up to the top, while other times they'll just stay on the floor and eat there. These are some seriously lazy bugs I have!