Nov 2009 National Geographic - Mantid pic

[cloud jaguar]

There is a very nice picture of a healthy S. Limbata in this month's National Geographic magazine - it is perched on a ###### eating a #######! (i put those #s to avoid being a spoiler).

 

[hibiscusmile]

Is it online? I dont get the mag!

 

[PhilinYuma]

Is it online? I dont get the mag!

For the past few years, National Geographic* has broken with tradition and can now be bought at magazine stands.

*Many of you are probably asking yourselves, "Why has Phil stopped underlining the names of magazines and started placing them in italics, like books, instead?" I'm glad you asked. The reason is that I have switched from PMLA to APA formatting in the belief that most members will be more familiar with the latter.

 

[Rick]

You posted this in the photo section but didn't post the pic.

 

[AmandaLynn]

Poor little humming bird.

 

[fatal_mantis]

Poor bird. Ive seen videos of them getting humming birds but Ive never seen such a clear picture before.

 

[cloud jaguar]

geez, that s. limbata is some mighty fine breeding stock! -- too bad she is green and not pink though!

 

[Katnapper]

Wow.... :huh: just wow.

 

[revmdn]

That's one strong bug.

 

[bassist]

I call possible setup hard to believe a Stagmomantis to take down a hummingbird though they are weak birds.

;///

 

[Ntsees]

I call possible setup hard to believe a Stagmomantis to take down a hummingbird though they are weak birds.;///

Dude, I'm right with you there! I don't know why but I seem to doubt that the mantid in the picture was capable of capturing that hummingbird. I was going to post a comment about it yesterday but I retracted because I didn't want to look like some person who doesn't think it's possible. I know that it's possible but I would believe it more if it was from a Chinese mantid due to their larger size. I've seen how hummingbirds fly and how they hover and by analyzing their speed and strength in the air, I do not think that Limbata mantid is capable of capturing that. Further analyzation shows that the mantid in the photo would not have enough "grip" to hold onto that ~red honey-feeder (smooth plastic edges) as the hummingbird was trying to escape in it's forelegs. Also, if you look carefully, the hummingbird's eyes have been "~smudged" in - meaning that from my experience, eyes like that shows that the bird was already dead some time ago. The eyes should be buldging outward (convex) in freshly killed and live animals. Ok, I want to hear what you guys think. Say something.

 

[Rick]

Hmmm. Tenedora yes. Stagmomantis no.

 

[hibiscusmile]

Not Chinese, and OW!

 

[AmandaLynn]

I think it's possible. Underneath all the plumage is a very tiny bird, if the humming bird was already exhausted it would probably be an easy meal for a mantis. But it could easily have been staged.

 

[massaman]

well that could be staged but here is a couple more pictures though from a different source showing this same kind of thing!

http://scottthong.files.wordpress.com/2006...hummingbird.jpg

http://scottthong.files.wordpress.com/2006...tis_hummer2.jpg

 

[Rick]

^ I always thought those looked fake. Much more so than the first one.

 

[yeatzee]

looks to be a limbata....

 

[yeatzee]

another very interesting video

both videos do not display a Tenedora species, but a smaller species. (looks to be stagmomantis)

Therefor, to me the pic looks legit.

 

[Morpheus uk]

Horrible mind for tiny mandibles to slowly mince up a whole vertebrate