I understand how others feel about this. At the same time I find it interesting nobody seems to have any issues when the pics show up of a mantis eating a hummingbird. There are fish sold as feeders just like there are mice sold as feeders. But I guess it is ok to feed a fish to another fish but not a mantis?
There is a difference between what happens in the wild and what practices we are posting on youtube. Documented predation on vertebrates by mantids in the wild is very rare and worth a pic. As with lions or hyenas eating live elefants this may be disgusting and unfair, but nature is unfair and gruesome. But noone should feed vertebrates to mantids at home, because we shouldn't be unfair and gruesome!! Torturing a vertebrate by feeding it alive to a predator like a mantis that doesn't kill its prey before devouring it isn't something that we should promote. Every vertebrate kills its prey before eating it and that's why feeder verts are accepted. Whether fed alive or dead, the prey will not suffer a lot. This isn't the case with mantids and promoting this on the internet sheds a wrong light on us and our hobby. We are not perverse satanic psychos which get a (use of vulgarity deleted) while torturing animals but serious enthusiasts who can contribute a lot to the knowledge of the respective groups. If someone feels he belongs to the first category he has the wrong hobby - not that I am referring to anyone in particular.
Every vertebrate kills its prey before eating it? That isn't true. I don't use fish as mantis food but I don't have a problem with someone else doing it as long as the fish used was bred to be a 'feeder' fish. I often find small anole lizards living in the same weeds around here that chinese mantids live. They must eat these small lizards, but if someone fed one to a mantis and posted the video would you be upset? I guess that it would be ok since it could happen in the wild? I don't see it as being any different. Could a mantis eat a fish in the wild? Very unlikely but it could happen. I see these small puddles around here that dry up and contain fish. These places are bordered by weeds. Lets say that the water dries up and there are small fish flopping around in the mud and a mantis lives in the weeds next to the puddle. Could a mantis catch one of those fish? I think so. If that was documented would be ok with the feeding of fish then?
Now that I do agree. I'm not saying I think these types of vids are ok to post for everyone to see.
So get rid of it? Your admin, this is damaging to the hobby and your site! mods here leave alot to be desired!
These are completely irrelevant. Of course these instances are okay - neither were fed to the mantis by a human!
Rick is not going to delete this thread. He wants peter to handle this personally.
You've been here six months. If you don't like how the site is handled then go find another mantis site. I will not delete this thread for the reason I already stated.
