Check this beast out!!

[jb666]

This was sitting on the wheel of The General today  What a gorgeous mantis this is!!

[kcederwall08]

Nice.

I think they must be attracted to chargers or something because I found one on my car a while back too.

[jb666]

I love seeing them... Awesome little insects!!

[RECHRGD]

Mine attracts bumble bees.  Don't ask me why!  Bob

[BigBlackDodge]

Mine attracts bumble bees.  Don't ask me why!  Bob

Mine collects bugs too.........the electrical kinda!


BBD

[jeryst]

I used to have one for a pet. They are really cool to watch, especially when they eat.
Its too bad they only live for one season.

[jb666]

Cool creatures...

raying Mantises are exclusively predatory. Larger species have been known to prey on small lizards, frogs, birds, snakes, and even rodents; they will prey upon any species small enough to successfully capture and devour. Most species of mantis are known to engage in cannibalism. The majority of mantises are ambush predators, waiting for prey to stray too near. The mantis then lashes out at remarkable speed. Some ground and bark species, however, pursue their prey rather quickly. Surprisingly, though, praying mantises are particularly susceptible to an enzyme found in the mucus excreted by slugs, and thus, their primary enemy is the slug. Prey items are caught and held securely with grasping, spiked forelegs ("raptorial legs"); the first thoracic segment, the prothorax, is commonly elongated and flexibly articulated, allowing for greater range of movement of the front limbs while the remainder of the body remains more or less immobile. The articulation of the head is also remarkably flexible, permitting nearly 300 degrees of movement in some species, allowing for a great range of vision (their compound eyes have a large binocular field of vision) without having to move the remainder of the body. As their hunting relies heavily on vision, they are primarily diurnal, but many species will fly at night.
[edit] Camouflage and Defense
Adult female Miomantis paykullii
Species in genus Choeradodis have laterally expanded thoraxes for leaf mimicry.

Mantises are masters of camouflage and most species make use of protective coloration to blend in with the foliage or substrate, both to avoid predators themselves, and to better snare their victims. Various species have evolved to not only blend with the foliage, but to mimic it, appearing as either living or withered leaves, sticks, tree bark, blades of grass, flowers, or even stones. Some species in Africa and Australia are able to turn black after a molt following a fire in the region to blend in with the fire ravaged landscape (fire melanism). While mantises can bite, they have no venom. They can also slash captors with their raptorial legs. They do not appear to be chemically protected; nearly any large predatory animal will eat a mantis such as Scops owls, shrikes, bullfrogs and chameleons.

[mikesbbody]

This was sitting on the wheel of The General today  What a gorgeous mantis this is!!

Your right it is Gorgeous and looks kinda big too (in your hand) dont the Females eat the Males after mating?
We have them down here in my part of the world and some other's you dont have.
My Charger also attracts bugs maybe they think it's a big green leaf?

[dart3404]

They are fascinating little creatures. I used to breed them for photography. You would be surprised at how many different species their are, and how different they look to blend into the environment they live in. Not all of them eat the male... The one you are holding looks to be a female Chinese or European.

[dart3404]

a couple more

[dart3404]

.

[jb666]

You, sir, take an amazing photograph. WOW!!

[Troy]

You, sir, take an amazing photograph. WOW!!

That would be a ma'am but yes, those pictures are very cool!

Here's a couple locals that I found...

Troy

[jb666]

AWESOME!!!!!!!!!!! And sorry, M'am!! 

[dart3404]

No problem, and thank you. cool pictures Troy. I love finding them outside.

[4cruzin]

WOW the beast looks sweet!  I see they still had their halloween costumes on!   

[RusTy/SE]

This mantis visited my porch recently. Yep, there is some non-Mopar metal stripping in my future

[dart3404]

looking for the spider that lived there. lol

[mikesbbody]

Mantis are cool, they remind me of some kind of weird "Alien" type creature (not that i know what Alien's look like  ) Not trying to Hijack but check this guy out! it's a Giant Weta we get them down here they are like Amour plated, Bad ass ugly, big version's of Locusts, or Grass hoppers they bite, and jump far and can be 8 inches + in size.
I've found a few hiding around the Charger before gives you a bit of a fright when you first come across them

[dart3404]

  that thing is huge!

[jb666]

 

[200MPH]

  wow..

[mikesbbody]

I forgot to add they actually make a "hissing" sound when you piss them off...for real! one time I dropped a wrench under the Charger, I got the wrench back and also a bite from one of these things and that was just a "small" one    Generally, they dont bother you they are just Ugly.

[Rolling_Thunder]

hmmm    target practice   

[69bronzeT5]

Mine attracts bumble bees.  Don't ask me why!  Bob

I painted the air cleaner for my Duster and the paint I used smelled like oranges.....I had bugs flying into it!

[jb666]

Mantis are cool, they remind me of some kind of weird "Alien" type creature (not that i know what Alien's look like  ) Not trying to Hijack but check this guy out! it's a Giant Weta we get them down here they are like Amour plated, Bad ass ugly, big version's of Locusts, or Grass hoppers they bite, and jump far and can be 8 inches + in size.
I've found a few hiding around the Charger before gives you a bit of a fright when you first come across them

This thing still freaks me out... I'd have crapped myself and run the other way. That thing needs a saddle and a fenced in area. 

[mikesbbody]

This thing still freaks me out... I'd have crapped myself and run the other way. That thing needs a saddle and a fenced in area. 

They say they are "Harmless" but I can tell you I've been bitten by them more than once and it hurt! 
Their legs have "spikes" on them too! I'm actually surprised nobody mentioned about how Prey Mantis can fly
That's one thing the Giant weta can't do.

[mikesbbody]

A few more pics for you Jeff  I just hope the one crawling on that guy's face is a photoshop!

[dart3404]

Cool, they have little toe nails like my tarantulas. I think by harmless they mean a bite is not going to send you to the hospital. Unless you get so freaked out by it you have a heart attack.      I need to get me one of them to photograph.

Orchid mantis babies look just like little aliens from space.They are quite tiny though. Only adult mantids can fly.

[Just 6T9 CHGR]

Sweet jeebus Jen those things are wicked looking!  Funny thing also is the fact that they all look like they are "posing" for the camera!

[b5blue]

Cooooooooool little guy  

[Road Dog]

Here's one.

[dart3404]

Sweet jeebus Jen those things are wicked looking!  Funny thing also is the fact that they all look like they are "posing" for the camera!

They are quite interested in the camera for some reason. They used to jump on it all the time.


Shes a biggin road dog. looks like she might be ready to lay some eggs.

[jeryst]

DART3404, those are some beautiful pics. I didnt realize there were so many different types of Mantis. Where are all of those from, and how did you get them?

[dart3404]

Thank you.
Most of the mantids i kept are Asian species. I buy them on-line and have them shipped. This is one of the best places to get everything you would need. http://mantisplace.com/

The first two are Ghost mantids (Phyllocrania Paradoxa). Next two are boxer Mantis (Oxypilus) Next is a Devil flower Mantis (Blepharopsis Mendica), an Orchid Mantis (Hymenopus Coronatus). Next two is of a Bud Wing Mantis (Parasphendale Agrionina). This is a good beginners mantis. A Chinese Mantis. This is the one most of us see. Next is an Orchid Mantis, and another of the Chinese. The last ones I posted was my Orchid Oothecae (egg case) hatchingout, and then some of the babies.

You can see more of my pictures here. http://www.flickr.com/photos/sublimedart/ If you look on the sidebar you will see all the sets.

If your interested there is a great forum for mantids, breeding, buying, and tons of pictures.
http://mantidforum.net/forums/

[jeryst]

Thanks for the links.

What type of lighting do you use?

[dart3404]

I use different light sources. For some I used a home made lightbox, Diffused flash by putting white tissue paper over the flash, and natural light by just going outside and putting them on a tree or a flower.