Photo: Priskers The Cat Meets Mr. Mantis
Photo: Koshi Cat and Mr. Mantis Play Hide & Seek
Photo: This Was One Curious Arthropod
Photo: Mr. Mantis Says Goodbye to Koshi Cat
This rather large, and curious praying mantis attracted the attention of two of our four cats.
Both the feline, and the praying mantis are predators. Like my cats, this mantis was extremely curious. I suspect the mantis was attracted to the bright red LED flashes from the red eye reduction system on my camera.
Incredibly this praying mantis followed my camera step by step for nearly twenty feet. It walked off of a window ledge, down from a brick wall, across our porch, down several steps, and traversed a walkway into our lawn.
I took dozens of photographs of this unusual trek - four of which I present here in this post.
When my camera finally ran out of memory I left the mantis in the lawn, and began to walk back into the house. To my amazement I noticed that the mantis had turned around and followed me out of the grass, onto the sidewalk, and up the porch steps!
Strange, but isn't life always!
The series of photographs included for this post were taken in Jerome, Illinois - a bedroom community of Springfield, Illinois on Wednesday, October 5th, 2005.
As we can see from these photographs, my cats took a special interest in this large, and curious praying mantis. Despite any pretensions, the mantis is totally harmless to both humans, and cats. My innocent looking cats would have made cat's play out of Mr. Mantis.
Mr. Mantis, if the weather forecast holds true, will be facing his first hint of Fall weather tonight with expected lows in the forties forecast for the rest of this week. It's a tough life being a bug - sorry, I meant insect.
My cats on the other hand have it made!
Here's a photograph of a a praying mantis in action. If you have a weak stomach, or don't want to see a photo of a praying mantis devouring a humming bird which it caught, killed, and devoured quickly avert your eyes.
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Photo: Praying Mantis Captures, and Devours Humming Bird*
Click on the Birdwatcher's Digest link below if you're interested in reading the story behind the photograph of the Mantis & the Hummer above.
*External Photograph Source: Birdwatcher's Digest.
All external images in this post are reproduced under "Free Use" rules for educational purposes only, and retain any and all copyright protections.
2 comments:
I just can't get over the size of that praying mantis. We usually get one a year crossing our porch to parts unknown. But, I can't recall ever seeing one that big.
He must have really taken a liking to you.
I remember my dad saying to always respect the praying mantis, that they serve an important ecological purpose.
Did your kitties 'chirp' to the mantis? My cat (Catches Many Mice) 'chirps' at the birds outside the window. It's like she's trying to tell them "Come! Fly into my mouth!"
Koshi cat seemed especially interested in the prospect of batting around a mantis......
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