California Mantis

[Chet Troutpuncher]

I wish I would have brought my camera yesterday. Regular Wild Kingdom down in the Truckee River canyon. Saw a coyote, a mule deer, a rainbow, a brown and this guy. I didn't know we had mantis in California...

[SHigSpeed]

I wish I would have brought my camera yesterday. Regular Wild Kingdom down in the Truckee River canyon. Saw a coyote, a mule deer, a rainbow, a brown and this guy. I didn't know we had mantis in California...

You mean like praying mantis mantis? They're pretty common in my neck of the woods. LOVE them. Super badass bugs - eat hummingbirds if given the opportunity.


_SHig

[Scott V]

If you are talking praying mantis they are all over the Sacramento area. I see them on a regular basis, even have to save one of my car window every now and then.

[Chet Troutpuncher]

Well how about that...

"When the Stagmomantis Californica mate, the mount can last for hours. Often during or after mating the female S. Californica devours the male, allowing the female to have enough protein to create an Ootheca. All S. Californicas have sensors near their legs that allow the praying mantis to lose its head and still function. This is good if the head is devoured during mating.[5]"

[Kevin Goding]

The ultimate sacrifice for your kids. I'm pretty sure in some species, the male's head is an inibitor to genetic material transfer. One reason while typically the female removes the male's head during copulation.

[Mike O]

They are especially cool when they fly. They are the largest flying insect I think I have ever seen. Freaky when one buzzes by your ear at night, even worse when they land in your wife's hair when she is siting next to you.