Mantis update: spotlight on Booie
I caught Booie in the act of shedding his skin this afternoon. He’s a little blurry in this picture, because he’s swinging back and forth trying to wriggle out of his old skin. His old-skin feet are attached to the ceiling of his container. Eagle-eyed readers will note that it seems he has at least eight legs. The three disappearing out the top of the photo are his old-skin legs, the four sticking out from his sides are his new-skin legs. You can see his old tail-skin curling up like a new-year’s-eve party favor as he struggles to get his body out of the confines of his old skin. At bottom, his head is a blur as he swings himself to and fro. His front paws are in the “praying” position.
Seconds later: plop! He’s escaped from his old skin and now lies, helpless and rubbery, on the floor of his yogurt container. I was a little concerned for him for a few minutes, because it’s quite unlike any of my mantises to lie face down in the dart like this, but I knew that they are often a little weak after the big struggle of escaping their old skin. And look how fresh and minty green his new skin is!
Here’s his old skin, now empty of mantis. This is, I believe, Booie’s fourth skin-switch — they seem to go through a skin a week. Which I guess is easier than taking a bath.
As Booie was recovering from his skin-shedding, Brown Behemoth Ceiling nabbed another cricket. He’s a real outlaw savage now and has had at least three crickets in the past 24 hours. I got this shot as he was in the act of beheading this little fella. Pinocchio will have togo without a conscience and Buddy Holly will be singing solo — this cricket is reserved for dinner.
You don’t me, but i thought i’d share:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/ashura666/2662856228/
🙂
Awesome! What kind of camera is that?
🙂 Mostly taken with a Canon EOS 10D and a 100mm Macro lens. The camera she was sitting on is a Powershot G9.
The obvious joke
Wait, is this just all research for your newest project, Mantizz?!
I love mantis updates! Those little beheading buggers are adorable.
Blog design
I like your new background image a lot. What prompted the change in wallpaper?
–Ed.
Re: Blog design
For some reason, I can’t get my original image to show up. All I have on my end is a rather funereal black.
Re: Blog design
Your original is back up — I came back to check.
–Ed.
I have a youngster named Mortimer. Don’t have any pictures of him yet, but he’s the oddest mantis I’ve ever had. He’s very jumpy– still, after two weeks, hasn’t gotten used to me. But he won’t fly. Just jumps. Also, I made him a nice little home with plants and sticks and dirt, but this is the first mantis I’ve had who prefers to hang out in the corner of the ceiling rather than explore his sticks. Also, he’s a nocturnal hunter. He refuses to eat in the daylight. New species: MANTIS VAMPIRIS?
via BoingBoing: Famous historical beheadings recreated with mantises.