Mantis vs. hummingbird

[El Johano]

It does happend sometimes, another mantis eating a hummingbird:
http://www.rlephoto.com/birds/hummer01.htm

 

[Raqua]

It is possible of course. I have been keeping and breeding different species for a few years. I fed pinkies to some of the larger species quite regularly. They were able to eat everything, even the bones.
Once I had a Sphodromantis sp. adult female which had a bad molt. She was aprox. 4 inches long. Its body was deformed the way that it was unable o walk. I decided to feed it to my ADULT female Avicularia versicolor. I almost lost the versi. Mantis bite her one leg off and hurt its pedipalp. I'm sure, that if that mantis was healthy and ok, versi would loose that fight.
Never again I tried to feed mantis to tarantula.

 

[edesign]

enter username and password...

 

[luther]

The only part of the story that seems wrong to me is the impaling part. I've never seen any of my mantids drive it's foot through it's prey. Sounds like observer error. I'd be willing to believe that the bird died from a heart attack when grabbed though.

 

[Scythemantis]

Off-topic kinda, but I just caught two massive adult chinese mantids this week, BOTH at work, two work nights in a row (one was in the backroom, one was outside on the building). I seem to have a male and a female, because both are winged but one is very noticeably smaller and thinner.

I have them in two seperate containers and was considering trying to mate them, if anyone can give me advice on that. They are being kept very well fed, which I know is important to lessen the likelihood of cannibalism if I do introduce them.

Here's (I think) the female:

 

[Banshee05]

Hello!
i'm very fascinated in mantis, and now i'm a lot more fascinated, they can eat birds.... wow!!
sorry Scythemantis, i don't knwo what china's species this is, but i have another question:
what is the largest mantis?!?

 

[Scythemantis]

Some sites say the largest in the world is Paratoxodera cornicollis. It looks amazing, but all the google pictures are blurry.

 

[Wade]

Those who think this is impossible for whatever reason are either unfamilliar with the size and impressive power of the Chinese mantid, or else ignorant about the small size and delicate nature of hummingbirds.

Here's annother, older link showing a picture of the same phenomenon:

http://www.rlephoto.com/birds/hummer01.htm

Keep in mind, folks, that these pictures were posted by birdwatchers. As a group, birdwatchers are very, very enamoured of the animals the observe, and an avid birdwatcher is about as likley to kill, injure or even desicrate the dead body of a hummingbird than an arachnoboards member would be to stomp on a poecilotheria metallica! Even if the hummingbird were already dead, I doubt a birdwatcher would do this. Would dog-lover feed a dead puppy to a crocodile just to take a cool picture?

The raptorial forelimbs of the Chinese mantid are very powerful, and the spines very sharp (note the curved sharp forward spine easily seen in Sythemantis's photo). I see no reason why they couldn't easily pierce the thin skin of a hummingbird. I've had hungry mantids latch onto my fingertips before, and it can e quite painful if the mantid is large and determined enough. Humingbirds are tiny animals with a body not much bigger than the cicada in LCP's photo, and without the benefit of the armour the insect has. They are also incredibly high-stress and have been know to drop dead when restrained, so heart failure is also a likely cause of death if being pierced by the first spine of the leg were't enough.

Chinese mantids routinely hang out on flowering bushes where they ambush nectar-feeding insects. Hummingbirds are nectar feeders and would frequently come within range of a large mantid so positioned. I tend to doubt ill hummingbirds are out actively feeding like this.

So, in short, nothing about this seems impossible or even unlikley. Frankly, I would be more surprised if it didn't happen.

Wade

 

[Farom]

ignorant about the small size and delicate nature of hummingbirds.
Wade

Well, that much is true. I wasnt aware the humming birds were so delicate.

Thanks,
Andrew