Monday, November 06, 2006

The Fierce Hunter

I found these pictures, that I took back in July, and I was wondering what this Praying Mantis was eating…probably a bee. You can see bits of it still left in the first picture and in the second, it’s almost gone except for what it’s putting into its mouth. I did a little checking up and besides bees, they hunt and eat butterflies, beetles, frogs yes frogs, spiders, mice, lizards and small birds…yipes!
You know, I always liked watching the praying mantis…they look so neat. Jimmy hates them though…he says he doesn’t trust them. How can you not trust a “Praying” Mantis? In the first sentence I said, “I always liked” past tense…because I found out they eat hummingbirds…pretty little sweet hummingbirds!!!! sob sob sniff

I’ll probably still be fascinated by them when I see them again in the spring next year…They’re so cute in spring. They’re so tiny that it’s hard to see them, but once you spot one you’ll see hundreds of them. I found out that they live in warm climates, so the frost probably did kill the Praying Mantis in my previous post.

Click here for a short fact sheet about the Praying Mantis.

I’ve always seen the solid green mantis and it’s so well camouflaged, that it kind of startles you when you first come across a large one (about 4 inches long), but they don’t all look like the green ones we have in our area. Click Here to see some different ones…they make our little green hunter look so carefree and innocent looking. I know, I know...they eat hummingbirds.

14 comments:

Carole Burant said...

We don't get Praying Mantis over here and now that I know they eat hummingbirds, I'm GLAD we don't!!! lol They are such fascinating insects though and I had no idea until you mentioned it, what they ate! They even eat frogs??? Geez I hope I don't come back in my second life as a frog...or a HUMMINGBIRD!!!! hehe

R.Powers said...

We have one variety on our oak trees that matches it so well, you can't see them unless they move.

Susie said...

Ours out here don't look large enough to eat anything like a frog or hummingbird!
Interesting post..

Cheyenne said...

I never knew that about them...hungry little buggers, aren't they?

tomlaureld@yahoo.com said...

I wish they would eat my tomato horn worms but I think they do not. I saw a praying mantis on our slider that looked like a great horned toad.

KentuckyCritter said...

How in the hell do they catch a hummingbird?...those little buggers are fast!!!

I love praying mantis too...ever tie a string around one (we did that with june bugs too) and fly him like a kite? Pretty cool...

Sorry, I was a warped kid (and turned out a warped adult)

Anonymous said...

I love the mantis, they are very cool looking. I know that they have good eyesight because when you approach them they look at you. (Maybe they are sizing you up for a meal) We have every bug known to man down here in Florida.

Anonymous said...

Taste like chicken don't they?

Anonymous said...

First glance I thought our little friend resurected.
Jimmy may not trust them because the female eats the head of her mate when she is done loving on him(mateing)
Yikes!!!
I will click on the link and see if this is true.

Anonymous said...

yep there it is,but it said (sometimes).Only when she is hungry and skipped lunch.

Raphaela said...

UNA MANTIS... SALUDOS SANDY!!!

TJ said...

I've never liked them either...something creepy about them...Yikes!!!

Tanya said...

Such great pictures!! I love these little creatures - even if they are evil now and then.

Kerri said...

I think they're the neatest things. Yes, definitely fascinating. It's something to ponder though...how in the world they catch hummingbirds and frogs. Maybe they only eat the ones they find that are already dead?? Interesting!
We only see them occasionally up here.
I'm chuckling at Jimmy not trusting them :)