The sex life of a Preying Mantis captured with a shaking K20D.

k10dbook · 09-05-2008, 12:56 AM

Hi pentaxian friends,

About a year ago, I was amazed at a female Preying Mantis spreading her wings. From what I've heard, in the fall, this is the mating dance the female Preying Mantis performs but I've also heard that it is a defence position. Note that the females are green and the males are brown. The males are usually smaller.

The female is green.

The male is brown.

Today, we found two Preying Mantis hiding in a bush outside our business place. I extended my hand close to the female and she jumped on my hand and stayed there. I then extended my hand toward a male Preying Mantis and miraculously he jumped on my hand as well. Now, it is almost fall and this is the season. With my free hand, I called my wife on my cell phone and asked her to get my K20D right away. She did and with one hand free, I took the following pictures. It was a bit difficult to handle the K20D/Grip with one hand, and the images are not tacky sharp as I would have liked them to be, but there is a story here. The DA 16-45mm was mounted on the camera and I had no time to changed it for a close-up lens. If the old saying "A picture is worth a thousand words", I just saved myself several thousands words writing this blog. These small creatures never ceases to amaze me.

The rest of the pictures have been sensored...actually I decided to let the boy Preying Mantis go. He doesn't know, but I saved his life... for today anyway.

See what would have happened to him here.

Thank you for reading,

Yvon Bourque

Frogroast · 09-05-2008, 01:29 AM

Amazing that you got them to both jump on your hand like that - from your last image there, it looks like they were close to you needing to wash your hands

"...when the female bites off the male’s head, all control is lost and the result is repeated copulation."

Maybe a good action sequence for the K20D's burst mode

cupic · 09-05-2008, 01:41 AM

Make sure the spillage is cleaned up heeee LOL

cheers

*Damn Brit* · 09-05-2008, 01:47 AM

First one is great Yvon, she looks like she was posing for you.
I hope that's not your arm in the second shot.

k10dbook · 09-05-2008, 11:36 PM

Originally Posted by Damn Brit

First one is great Yvon, she looks like she was posing for you.
I hope that's not your arm in the second shot.

Yes, that's my arm. I think my name "Yvon" may have confused with the name "Yvonne". Yvon if french and is a male name. Yvonne, is the correct spelling for female name.

Sorry

Canadian by birth...Eh!