My husband is still a kid at heart in some respects. He‘s always bringing bugs home for us to look at and observe. Or he’ll stop the truck in the middle of the road on a rainy night and jump out to pick up a spotted salamander just so the kids can see it. I never know what he may have clasped in his hands and always watch cautiously, from a safe distance as he opens his hands to reveal the newest treasure.
This past week it was a praying mantis. I must admit I’d never seen one. They are huge. This one was about 4 inches long, with a back that looked like a flat leaf, two legs in the front that he held together as though he were praying, and a triangular shaped head he could turn around so that he could see in back of him. His eyes reminded me of those on that gecko that stars in the Geico commercial. We put the mantis in a large, clear glass bowl and then placed the bowl on the window seat of our picture window where I promptly forgot about it.
One night while I was blogging I looked up towards the window and saw the bowl sitting there. I decided it would be a good idea to place it on the table so that the kids and I could let it go before it died.
In walks DS15 ~ “You know you’re probably starving that guy. You should really feed him or let him go. He eats meat, “ he stated matter of factly.” The light bulb comes on and I quickly run to the kitchen where we’ve had an influx of fruit flies lately. I tried several times, unsuccessfully to catch one. When at last I was able to lure one into my hands I dropped it into the bowl. I sat and watched for several minutes while the mantis just sat and looked at me. He seemed to notice the fly but made no attempt to catch it. That must not be on his diet, I thought.
Then I saw another bug crawling beside the bowl on the table (ew!). I hurried to the kitchen where I keep the tweezers ( I wasn’t going to pick that thing up). I managed to grab it without totally squishing it and dropped it into the bowl. It burrowed into the grass out of sight. I watched a few more minutes and left the room.
By now it was 11:30 p.m. and I decided to check it one more time before heading to bed. It was happily munching on the bug I had just put in there. The legs were still wiggling and everything. It was so neat. I yelled to my 10 year old son and he came out to watch it for awhile. Then, I sent him in to get his little sister.
She came out groggily rubbing her eyes, said “Neat, can I go back to bed now,” and did just that. Obviously not impressed.
The bug finally managed to wriggle away and hid back in the grass, while the mantis sat happily licking his two front legs ~ finger licking good ~ as they say.
While observing the praying mantis we learned that God equipped him with a natural form of camouflage for protection. He has little spines on his front legs that he uses to grasp his prey. He has six legs, two sets of wings and three body parts, which, if you remember makes him an insect. He is a carnivore.
Some other interesting facts we learned while searching the net are that mantis means prophet or seer. Their mouth is more like a grasshoppers and they have to eat their live prey like a stalk of celery. They feed on insects and have been known to capture and consume hummingbirds. Woe! Last but not least, courtship can be very dangerous for the male as the female may capture him and eat him headfirst. Must be why we don’t see too many praying mantis’s around.
Isn’t God’s world just full of amazing and unique creatures? What have you seen lately. I’d love to read other nature study posts.
