Devil's flower mantis

Post by **Donald** » Tue Jan 22, 2013 11:54 am

I've just got a text from a friend... he knows I like bugs and for the longest time I've been trying to convince the mrs we need one. He has them in stock from next week.

Fair enough I didn't make my case too well when I put a stick insect exoskeleton on the bathroom plant so she literally jobby herself (unintentionally) on the toilet.

But you have to admit this is amazing:

I think the fact that the males can fly and they regularly get to about 6inches in length puts her off.

Might just get one and not tell her.

BigTom · Post by **BigTom** » Tue Jan 22, 2013 11:57 am

Awesome.

Looks like an Igor Siwanowicz photo? His stuff is amazing.

http://blepharopsis.deviantart.com/gallery/

nitin_s1 · Post by **nitin_s1** » Tue Jan 22, 2013 11:59 am

BigTom wrote:http://blepharopsis.deviantart.com/gallery/

Some amazing pictures there.

Post by **Donald** » Tue Jan 22, 2013 12:00 pm

Very cool pictures

Post by **Pushki** » Tue Jan 22, 2013 12:29 pm

Very cool photos! I liked the original Karate Kid film!

Post by **Lude-dude** » Tue Jan 22, 2013 12:32 pm

I was gonna say they look like about to perfom crane kick

Post by **Donald** » Tue Jan 22, 2013 12:43 pm

Mind is made up

Post by **NafemanNathan** » Tue Jan 22, 2013 12:48 pm

Check out the biseps on that muffin!

... What does it do?

Post by **Ammo** » Tue Jan 22, 2013 1:05 pm

Home security.. it's like the chuck Norris of the insect world

Post by **Donald** » Tue Jan 22, 2013 1:05 pm

Not a lot to be honest. Stick some flies in there, it sits around looking like a flower and catches them. Spray the enclosure with water once a day, crank dat heat. Create a rainforest in your bedroom. An easy pet.

I'm much more of a 'stare at an animal for hours' person than 'walk behind this animal for hours' person.

My short list of wanted animals:

Panther chameleon
Mantis
White's tree frog

The only one she's agreed to so far is the chameleon... but nowhere near me can reliably get young that don't die after a few weeks.

They only live for 5 years tops really, and I can only find adults of an unknown age. Not into getting adult animals anyway, especially when potentially they could be dead within a few years. The interesting thing for me with inverts and reptiles is the life stages you can see from young to adult, some of them you'd think were different species.

Mantids usually takes about 7-8 sheds before being an adult, so it's kinda cool to see one day you have a very light insect, then it pops out of it's own skeleton completely different.

The guy growing the above is actually in Yoevil