Praying mantis Stairing !!

[mimic58]

I just got one of these mad litle aliens and noticed something kinda odd,
It will look you in the eye and keep eye contact with you as you move arround , it will not follow other moving stuff ie my hand waved infront as a distraction ,it just continues to look me in the eye!!! ,

 

[Spaceman_Spiff]

It is not staring at you, it' merely an optical effect
You're looking into the "tubes" of the compound eye that are directed towards you, that's why they appear darker!
But don't feel silly, I asked the same question when I first saw a mantis!

Bernhard

 

[mimic58]

tubes? , are they like a small black dots in the centre of its green eyes ?? kinda looks like a pupil ?? (it that bit that follows me)

 

[Spaceman_Spiff]

I hope this link helps to understand the structure of a compound eye and what I meant with "tubes":

http://users.rcn.com/jkimball.ma.ultranet/BiologyPages/C/CompoundEye.html

What appears to be a pupil is just the bunch of ommatidia that point direktly towards you, you can look into them.
Where these units don't point towards you, they appear to be greenish.
I hope this helps!

Bernhard

 

[mimic58]

Thanks for the responce its been puzzeling me since i got it

 

[mimic58]

Ah i think i see now so its like a bunch of optic fibres in semi sphere , as i move arround it i like move in direct line with each indavidual part(fibre) ,So it apears like it moves ??

 

[Alex S.]

The compound eye of an insect may consist of around 20,000 ommatidia. One ommatidium has a number of lenses that make up the cone, which directs light onto a tubular structure called the rhabdom, which is made up of several retinular cells. The retinular cells are surrounded by pigment cells. The base of each rhabdom is connected to an optic nerve that leads to the brain. The effect that the mantids eye has a pupil is probably from the single ommatidium or very small group of ommatidia that are directly facing you that appear to not be receiving any light from that angle.

Alex S.

 

[mimic58]

Its a really neat affect it certanly had me going lol

 

[Malkavian]

I dind't know about that phenomenon...interseting. However I could still swear several of my mantises would acutally move their heads to follow me as i moved around their cage...

 

[Alex S.]

Hi Malkavian, mantids will pivot the head to follow moving objects. They are the only insects known to be able to move the head alone without moving any other part of the body.

Alex S.

 

[mimic58]

yes mine also turns its head round often to face me an will turn its head to follow me as i move arround (its kinda creapy) , Im sure it thinks im a big cricket and it would just love to grab ahold of me an eat me to death!!

But hmm its just shed looks alot bigger But its wings look funny like kinda shriveled is this normal???

 

[Alex S.]

It is perfectly normal. If it was the final molt into the adult stage, the wings will be functional (depending on species) after drying out. Do not feed the specimen for a couple days as the cuticle needs time to become fully solid.

Alex S.

 

[mimic58]

Ah thats a releaf , it is still a youngster i duno how old exactly but when i got it was only about 2" long its just molted and is now like 4 posibly 5"

I wasnt sure if it was a molt gone wrong or if adolecents just had funny looking wings it didnt have any prior to the molt..

Glad to know its ok!

 

[RaZeDaHeLL666]

I have mantis nymphs now, This summer I had an adult male. His eyes in the morning had nothing but tiny little black dits in them. As the day goes by they dialated and by nighttime the whole eye was pitch black. That was one of his best features. He was a real sweet mantis and a terrible loss. =(

 

[Sheldy]

All this talk of mantids... I wanna see some pictures...

 

[Brak]

Ok...try this


http://www.arachnoboards.com/ab/attachment.php?attachmentid=14708&stc=1

 

[Brak]

Or this... These are sphodromantis I think. Had a spelling mistake earlier.

http://www.arachnoboards.com/ab/showthread.php?t=22711

 

[mimic58]

sorry*about*pic*quality

she is just finishing a freshly molted (soft) meelworm, She ate it like a corn on the cob !!