# Praying mantis hatchlings?



## rip18 (Apr 6, 2006)

I'm not sure what to call praying mantis when they just come out of the egg case, but this is what happened this past Monday...

They wriggled out of the top of the egg case & would slide a little bit down the side.  At first, their heads were crooked up & their legs were all folded up underneath them.  They wriggled around like little grubs.  As they dried out, their antenna & their legs would unfold.  They eventually turned light brown.  These little guys were about 1/2" long...  

Neat to see!!!


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## GeauxLSU (Apr 6, 2006)

Wow!  How about that.  I'm assuming that's gotta' be a pretty rare sight!  Thanks for posting.


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## bigswamp (Apr 6, 2006)

Neat pic!  That is something I've never seen.


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## Trizey (Apr 6, 2006)

Rip-  Great picture, very interesting!

You've always got some great pictures, must be a different world down in your neck of the woods


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## Wade Chandler (Apr 6, 2006)

That might be one of the coolest, most unique pictures I've ever seen on here.  That has to be a rare find and something that most of us will never see in person.  Thanks for sharing and letting us see it


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## PHIL M (Apr 6, 2006)

thats amazing! you should send that pic to national geographic!


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## DYI hunting (Apr 6, 2006)

I found about 40 of them once right after they hatched, but I didn't get to see them actually hatch.  Really cool picture!


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## the HEED! (Apr 6, 2006)

Great happening, plenty of bug eaters coming into the world right there!


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## Bruz (Apr 6, 2006)

Incredible Pics....It's amazing what we can see if we just take the time to look.


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## Hawken2222 (Apr 6, 2006)

That's something you don't see everyday.  Thanks for sharing that, I've never seen that before.


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## Hoss (Apr 6, 2006)

Thanks for sharing that one.  That's a sight I suspect few have seen.   We all need to take a lesson from you and slow down and look for the small things.

Hoss


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## mikelogg (Apr 6, 2006)

That Is Absolutly Amazing!!!


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## GeauxLSU (Apr 6, 2006)

PHIL M said:
			
		

> thats amazing! you should send that pic to national geographic!


True

We should have a "Woody's photography Hall of Fame" and make it a sticky and vote on which photos go in the thread.  This one woudl get my vote.


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## Gagirl77 (Apr 6, 2006)

have to say i have never seen that before....kinda gross but really neat.
Thanks.


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## rip18 (Apr 6, 2006)

Thanks guys.  I'm glad you like them.  I feel deeply honored by some of your comments.

Here is another view...


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## PHIL M (Apr 6, 2006)

interesting info.
the female will lay groups of 12-400 eggs in the autumn, in a "frothy" liquid called an "ootheca", that turns into a hard protective shell. This is how these insects survive during the wintertime. Small mantids emerge in the spring. Often, their first meal is a sibling. Young mantids or nymphs, also eat leafhoppers, aphids and small flies. Young mantids will shed many times before it is full grown. It takes an entire summer or growing season for mantids to mature to adulthood. One generation develops each season. Many species of mantids resemble ants when they are small, but as they go through a series of molts, they begin to look more like adult mantids.


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## Nicodemus (Apr 6, 2006)

Rip, I always look forward to your pics and think I can safely say that we all enjoy them. keep on postin`!


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## jman9977 (Apr 6, 2006)

That's a very interesting pix. Never seen anything like it before. Thanks for sharing.


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## deuce (Apr 6, 2006)

Very Very impressive.


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## displacedhntr (Apr 7, 2006)

GeauxLSU said:
			
		

> True
> 
> We should have a "Woody's photography Hall of Fame" and make it a sticky and vote on which photos go in the thread.  This one woudl get my vote.




I will second that vote. I have seen some amaizing pictures on this forum.  Some of the pictures I have seen could definately be sold to art dealers and magazines. This picture would be a prime example.


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## raghorn (Apr 8, 2006)

Well , never saw anything like that!


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## dbodkin (Apr 8, 2006)

Great pic Rip....


Phil M. another tidbit of trivia. The Mantis can not mate until the female rips the head of of her male partner.....

Brings new meaning to...

 Honey.... I'm home.......  Hey what the heck??


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## Holton (Apr 9, 2006)

Yes a very cool picture.


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## Wetzel (Apr 9, 2006)

great picture


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