Why are mantids so infatuated with grasping my camera?

[LLCoolJew]

Whenever I take photos of my mantids, they suddenly become OBSESSED with trying to jump on my camera, and appear to be drawn to the camera lens in particular, grasping and reaching frantically as I try to snap a pic. Do you all experience this, too? Possibly there is something about the camera's optics that trigger them in some way?

LL

 

[twolfe]

Whenever I take photos of my mantids, they suddenly become OBSESSED with trying to jump on my camera, and appear to be drawn to the camera lens in particular, grasping and reaching frantically as I try to snap a pic. Do you all experience this, too? LL

Yes, all the time. Sometimes I've lost them only to discover that they are on my camera lens. Some are species are worse than others. When I use the specialized Canon MP 65-E lens, it's so close to the subject, that I understand why they jump on it. Still, they jump on my regular macro lens, too.

Post some of your photos sometime!!

 

[LLCoolJew]

Thanks, Tammy!!!!! Yes, I lose them, too... on;y to find them stuck on my lens. It's cute. But peculiar.

Yes, I'd like to post some photos, but I can only seem to attach them as (clickable) thumbnails, and everyone else seems to post this great, full sized photo in the body of their posts. What am I missing? Are they posted on a 3rd party website, and linked here?

 

[happy1892]

I think they are scared. So they try to go high as they can. And when my hand or something else is close to them, that is higher than they are they would jump on it.

Do you put the camera close to them? I do not do that because I have to crop a picture to get a picture clear. When I lose a mantis I usually find them on the ceiling.

 

[twolfe]

Thanks, Tammy!!!!! Yes, I lose them, too... on;y to find them stuck on my lens. It's cute. But peculiar.

Yes, I'd like to post some photos, but I can only seem to attach them as (clickable) thumbnails, and everyone else seems to post this great, full sized photo in the body of their posts. What am I missing? Are they posted on a 3rd party website, and linked here?

Yes, I usually post my photos to Smugmug and then when I click on image above, it's a link to my website. That's why mine have a watermark on them because I don't actually add the watermark to the image. The added a photo for the calendar, and it was also an attachable thumbnail.Don't you have your own website? I thought I looked at your Africa images once. Some day I hope to go there!

 

[LLCoolJew]

Thanks, Tammy! I shall sent up an account there and post some photos!

Yes, I have a site with some Africa pics. Hope that you have the opportunity to go there!! Hit me up if you ever want any suggestions

 

[angelofdeathzz]

Thanks, Tammy!!!!! Yes, I lose them, too... on;y to find them stuck on my lens. It's cute. But peculiar.

Yes, I'd like to post some photos, but I can only seem to attach them as (clickable) thumbnails, and everyone else seems to post this great, full sized photo in the body of their posts. What am I missing? Are they posted on a 3rd party website, and linked here?

I use Photobucket, its free and you can pick what size you want them displayed at.

 

[lunarstorm]

Yeah, my mantids always reach out for the camera too, I think it's cute. When i let my mantids out to run around, they almost always climb and reach out for anything they can use as a ladder. I suspect they'd do that for just about any object which offers a vertical route (that doesn't look like a predator).

 

[Precarious]

I think they go for the lens for the same reason they seem to want to look you in the eyes. Mine always crawl toward my face too. They probably see the lens as an eye.

I use photobucket.com too. They do have an image size limit but I pay $25 a year so I have more storage and larger images.

 

[Chivalry]

I think they go for the lens for the same reason they seem to want to look you in the eyes. Mine always crawl toward my face too. They probably see the lens as an eye.

I use photobucket.com too. They do have an image size limit but I pay $25 a year so I have more storage and larger images.

Do we know the reason for that, wanting to look you in the eye? It fascinates me, itty bitty hatchlings turning to eyeball me. I can't think of any other bugs that do that (certainly not the ones in my garden who are the reason I have mantids in the first place... but then I am not nice to them).

 

[Precarious]

Do we know the reason for that, wanting to look you in the eye? It fascinates me, itty bitty hatchlings turning to eyeball me. I can't think of any other bugs that do that (certainly not the ones in my garden who are the reason I have mantids in the first place... but then I am not nice to them).

I don't know why but that is why I'm so fascinated by them. They seem to contain awareness very unusual in an insect. They seem the most conscious insects. Of course it varies between species. When I bring them out of an enclosure they will look all around to scan the room. I've only ever seen certain jumping spiders do that, and that's becasue they are predatory and map out a path to potential prey in advance.

 

[LLCoolJew]

Yes, so, I think it has something to do with the lens of an eye and the lens of a camera that is attractive to their compound vision. I think that when I am focusing my camera, they detect the moment of the lens and it appeals to them in some significant way. If I hold up just ANY object to my mantids, they do not react this way... But I agree with Precarious, they always try to climb up to my face and eyes, and I think there are ocular similarities between eyes and lenses that seem to hold their attention!

 

[Chivalry]

Interestingly, when I take pics of my mantids with my phone they react the same way... they reach for it and climb on it (one will sit and watch while I flip through my photo gallery on the phone). But, there's not an eye on the phone cam the same way there is on a regular one.

 

[Psychobunny]

LOL!! mine do the same thing.

I have to get the camera pretty close with my macro lens, and they always reach out their little

raptor arms to climb on it!

Same thing happens if I have one on my hand and move it close to my face.

I think my reading glasses fascinate them too. They reach out and want to climb on them.

Sometimes, when I clean cages, I let the adults (nymphs are too skidish) climb on me and they watch

as I go through my cleaning ritual.

They tend to want to be up high, like my head!! sometimes the adult males will use me as their "launching

pad" if they see something interesting to fly over and check out.

But they usually fly back on me.

 

[Psychobunny]

Do we know the reason for that, wanting to look you in the eye? It fascinates me, itty bitty hatchlings turning to eyeball me. I can't think of any other bugs that do that (certainly not the ones in my garden who are the reason I have mantids in the first place... but then I am not nice to them).

LOL!! this is why we love them, those looks they give us, and the way they turn their heads.

I like to watch them turn their heads in surprise to check their backs, like they are thinking ###### was THAT!!

 

[angelofdeathzz]

I'm pretty sure the main reason is they want the highest point, which is the top of your head, the camera is just a way to get there. nothing more or less. Don't stop them and see were they end up?

Every mantis wants to win the game called 'King of the Mountain" lol.

 

[minard734]

I'm pretty sure the main reason is they want the highest point, which is the top of your head, the camera is just a way to get there. nothing more or less. Don't stop them and see were they end up?

Every mantis wants to win the game called 'King of the Mountain" lol.

I don't know. They go specifically for the LENSE. At least it's this way for me.

 

[gripen]

I'm pretty sure the main reason is they want the highest point, which is the top of your head, the camera is just a way to get there. nothing more or less. Don't stop them and see were they end up?

Every mantis wants to win the game called 'King of the Mountain" lol.

+1

 

[angelofdeathzz]

There is something to be said about them seeing their reflection in the lens, but all mantis I let get close to my face reach out and climb on to get on top of my head, camera or not, at first they look in the camera, then if you let them up they go like this one did right after this shot.