Mantis eating bananas?

[Litleape]

So my nymphs are well watered and feasting every day on fruit flies, but the weirdest thing happened the other day. There was a small spot of rotten banana on the side of the container. My mantid walked right past the fruit flies and stuck his face right up against the banana and started eating it. This sound strange to anyone else? Or should I start offering my mantids banana? :huh:

 

[kmsgameboy]

That does seem strange. Normaly I would say its thirsty but if your mantid is well watered I guess thats not likely the issue. I know mantids will take small amounts of honey if its offered to them...maybe yours just had a sweet tooth?

 

[Peter Clausen]

I can't imagine it would do anything but benefit your mantis to make this a regular offering. I occasionally offer gravid females or stud-mantises some watered-down brown sugar. I've offered them banana a few times in the past and noticed the same behavior. They will nibble on many things containing moisture, but I suspect they are after more than moisture in bananas.

Perhaps Chrisp will study whether this really is advisable as he persues his educacation and becomes Dr. Mantis!

 

[psyconiko]

What species?"Flying preys eater"?

 

[Malti]

on youtube saw a couple of vids of mantises eating jam...perhaps they need some sugar in their diet?

 

[Rick]

It is the moisture. Mantids are insect eaters and should be fed such .

 

[Litleape]

What species?"Flying preys eater"?

He is an orchid.

 

[sporeworld]

Yeah, I first heard about this years ago, and evey species I've tried it on, went for it greedily. Bananas, honey, jam... they get really excited, and will gently (one hopes) pull your finger in tighter until they've had their fill. They don't eat much, but it's still cute.

I've also used it to stimulate appetites that I thought were low, or to interest them in a new prey item (switching to crickets when I had run out of flies).

But to be honest, I had the same reaction to cricket guts on a stick, so Rick's probably right that it's just the moisture (or sugars, maybe).

 

[psyconiko]

He is an orchid.

Thanks!

I was sure it was a flying prey catcher.

I wrote a thread when I registered about this behavior.It seems it only occurs(rubbing or eating fruits) with this kind of mantis(like Gongylus,Idolomantis,Orchids...)I think and I am now quite convinced that they are doing that to put sugar(fruits) on their face in order to attract more flying preys(like flies).

For instance if a Gongylus can choose between a drop of water and a piece of babana,it will choose the banana.And I am sure Gongylus are not looking for moist.

So I do not know,maybe some species are doing this for moist and other for sugar?

Am I totally out of my mind?

 

[Litleape]

Thanks!

I was sure it was a flying prey catcher.

I wrote a thread when I registered about this behavior.It seems it only occurs(rubbing or eating fruits) with this kind of mantis(like Gongylus,Idolomantis,Orchids...)I think and I am now quite convinced that they are doing that to put sugar(fruits) on their face in order to attract more flying preys(like flies).

For instance if a Gongylus can choose between a drop of water and a piece of babana,it will choose the banana.And I am sure Gongylus are not looking for moist.

So I do not know,maybe some species are doing this for moist and other for sugar?

Am I totally out of my mind?

That is an ingenious theory. I wonder if they are that crafty? Makes you wonder what is going on inside those little heads.

 

[PhilinYuma]

Thanks!

I was sure it was a flying prey catcher.

I wrote a thread when I registered about this behavior.It seems it only occurs(rubbing or eating fruits) with this kind of mantis(like Gongylus,Idolomantis,Orchids...)I think and I am now quite convinced that they are doing that to put sugar(fruits) on their face in order to attract more flying preys(like flies).

For instance if a Gongylus can choose between a drop of water and a piece of babana,it will choose the banana.And I am sure Gongylus are not looking for moist.

So I do not know,maybe some species are doing this for moist and other for sugar?

Am I totally out of my mind?

I love ingenious theories, but this one isn't supported by the facts. First there is the problem of where mantids are going to find sugar water, honey or mashed bananas in the wild. Second, so far as i know at least, this behavior has not been observed in the wild. Third, flies could "steal" the sweet substance on the mantises head (from above, behind, etc) without the mantis ever seeing them for long enough to get a fix. This would demoralize any self-respecting mantis and it would probably sulk and refuse to breed.

It might be fun, though, to set up cages with sugary and non-sugary mantids and see if one group consumes more fruit flies over time than the other!

@ Litleape.You ask "what is going on inside those little heads?" Not much deep thought, I'm afraid!