Rekka the adult female Popa spurca turns 1 year old!

[MantidBro]

Rekka, my adult female Popa spurca, is now 12 months old. She is not only the oldest mantid I cureently own, but the oldest of any mantids I'd kept in the past 3 years. Kent-Lok, my Phyllocrania paradoxa, was the previous oldest, living for 11 months before passing on. I think it's definitely due to which species it is; the Popa spurca. This species is hardy!! She doesn't look or act as if she's aged a day since she first reached adulthood.

Happy 12th birthday to Rekka! (Counting the months! She's technically 1!)

So she got special attention today. I took her with me on a 40 minute bike ride and then we did a photo shoot.

Photos are on DA, here are the links (I can't copy and paste photos when using my tablet unfortunately. And I can't add attachments either, they're always too big, even when as puny as 100 x 100 :-/ ):

1.) http://alexandersmantids.deviantart.com/art/Rekka-is-a-year-old-Adult-female-Popa-spurca-465266696?q=gallery%3AAlexandersMantids%2F39976169&qo=6

2.) http://alexandersmantids.deviantart.com/art/Rekka-12-months-old-Adult-female-Popa-spurca-465267416?q=gallery%3AAlexandersMantids%2F39976169&qo=5

3.) http://alexandersmantids.deviantart.com/art/Rekka-perched-on-my-thumb-like-a-gargoyle-465267947?q=gallery%3AAlexandersMantids%2F39976169&qo=4

4.) http://alexandersmantids.deviantart.com/art/Rekka-is-a-year-old-today-Popa-spurca-465268521?q=gallery%3AAlexandersMantids%2F39976169&qo=3

5.) http://alexandersmantids.deviantart.com/art/Cute-Rekka-adult-female-Popa-spurca-465268839?q=gallery%3AAlexandersMantids%2F39976169&qo=2

6.) http://alexandersmantids.deviantart.com/art/Happy-12-month-birthday-to-Rekka-the-Popa-spurca-465269327?q=gallery%3AAlexandersMantids%2F39976169&qo=1

7.) http://alexandersmantids.deviantart.com/art/Rekka-aka-BLEND-adult-female-Popa-spurca-465269693?q=gallery%3AAlexandersMantids%2F39976169&qo=0

 

[Digger]

Bike ride ! Bike ride !

Did she stick her head out of the jar into the wind ? Happy Birthday, Rekka !

 

[MantidBro]

Bike ride ! Bike ride !

Did she stick her head out of the jar into the wind ? Happy Birthday, Rekka !

she was on my finger, i rode my bike one handed, she kept looking at the bushes and wanted to go, haha

 

[PookaDotted]

Happy birthday Rekka!

 

[PlayingMantis]

That's awesome! Glad to hear she's reached her first birthday!

 

[MantidBro]

That's awesome! Glad to hear she's reached her first birthday!

That's awesome! Glad to hear she's reached her first birthday!

tried to like this but i reached my quota of positive votes of the day haha. but hey.... i like this! lol. yeah im glad too!

 

[rickyveloz33]

That really great I congratulate u I just hope my popa spurca get to 1year

 

[MantidBro]

That really great I congratulate u I just hope my popa spurca get to 1year

thanks! shes impressive! good luck! the average life span of female Popa spurca (spurcae?) is 11 months!

 

[LAME]

That is pretty cool! Congrats buddy :]

 

[MantidBro]

That is pretty cool! Congrats buddy :]

thanks man! shes a real trooper! shes a month older than the average lifespan of this species! not even slightly different from when she first molted to adulthood. its her species, its so hardy.

 

[-db-]

Congrats and happy birthday! That's awesome he went on a bike ride. My Chinese mantid liked to perch on my son's shoulder like a parrot while he walked around the house and even outside without jumping off. Never thought about taking her on a bike ride. Congrats again with Rekka!

 

[MantidBro]

Congrats and happy birthday! That's awesome she went on a bike ride. My Chinese mantid liked to perch on my son's shoulder like a parrot while he walked around the house and even outside without jumping off. Never thought about taking her on a bike ride. Congrats again with Rekka!

haha thats cool. thanks!

 

[sally]

Happy birthday, Rekka!

 

[Retpallylol]

Such a cutie. She definitely does not look her age

 

[MantidBro]

Last night I realized Rekka had gotten quite slow... and today I saw her at the bottom of the container, stiff. she'd died :-( it was very sudden. well she lived a month longer than she was supposed to. and she had a good, comfortable life.

Bye Rekka my sweet Popa!

 

[-db-]

It is very sad! Its also amazing how attached you get to these amazing little creatures. Your good care gave her an extra month of life. That's something to be happy about.

 

[Sticky]

Im so sorry! Im glad you had her for a long time. She was loved and wont be forgotten.

 

[MantidBro]

It is very sad! Its also amazing how attached you get to these amazing little creatures. Your good care gave her an extra month of life. That's something to be happy about.

she was real sweet. the older they get the more of a bond you build with them. like for a while with me, she'd do the defense pose, and flare her wings, when i startled her by opening the container, but after a while she stopped, she became used to it, and never feared me. i cant believe how long id had her. its a very noticable disappearance, even if i do have a ton of mantids.

 

[MantidBro]

Im so sorry! Im glad you had her for a long time. She was loved and wont be forgotten.

thanks, im glad too, she was the oldest of my mantids, ever. a whole year, wow! she beat my phyllocrania paradoxa by a month. i know people say theyll live longer if you keep them on the colder side, and feed them less, but i give all of mine heat lamps and feed them so theyre full, not over fed but just so they dont look thin. oh but i find it interesting that she lived a year even though i fed her a lot and gave her heat lamps (also put her in the window and took her outside at times). maybe she would have lived even longer if id kept it cooler and fed her less but i sort of feel like thats mean. mantids love the heat