Saturday, September 4, 2010

Just look into my eyes


 This praying mantis has two different colored eyes. I searched and could not find any info that would cause such an oddity. He seemed to have some kind of genetic problems or brain damage. He could not keep his balance, and every time I placed him on my hand for a picture he would fall off.

Has anyone ever seen eyes like this on a mantid?

11 comments:

  1. Wow! Would you believe I just found a mantis this morning with one black eye! I have him right here at my desk, but I haven't taken a picture of him yet. I'm presuming he has injured it somehow, but he was still able to catch both of the flies I put in his container. I'll try to get a picture of him on my blog tomorrow.

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  2. That is amazing that you found one with an odd eye as well. I figure this one probably got injured too. Makes a person wonder what kind of injury it would have sustained to cause that kind of damage. It really seemed to affect this one, like I mentioned, it's balance was completely off.

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  3. I was guessing injury as well. Had a friend in 5th grade who couldn't see out of one eye 'cause it got hit with something years before and filled with blood, so no light got through to the retina. Within the year he got it fixed (blood drained) and voila, he could see. Poor thing.

    Maybe it's destined to be your pet? =) 'course, how long do they live?

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  4. I've read they will live several months and I have kept them as pets before. They are like little humans trapped in an insect body...so much personality for an insect. I read they live 4 or 5 months, I always let mine go before I could find them dead in the bottom of the cage....is it possible to develop an attachment to a bug...?

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  5. OK, here's mine.
    Mantids are my favorite bugs. I've kept them as pets numerous times, but like you, I normally let them go when they get old.

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  6. LOL Steve, yes he does, kind of looks like he is tripping on something

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  7. Wonderful makro.
    Congratulation!

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  8. I would also speculate injury. Jo has a great mantis macro, except that when she got the photo on the computer she noticed one of its eyes was damaged. It looks kind of gross.

    I currently have a female Carolina mantis I collected because she was gravid. I wanted to get a shot of her egg case (I did) and, maybe, even be lucky enough to see her forming the eggs case (I wasn't). I've been catching bugs (katydids and coneheads) for her, but I suppose I should let her go soon. She will die over winter, but from what I've read, would only live a few months longer if I kept her protected from winter's cold -- and I would have to start raising some kind of bugs to feed her. I've photographed a Chinese mantis eating popcorn, but I doubt that's really an acceptable mantid diet.

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  9. I know he didn't act right at all, he definitely acted like he had a head injury.

    I kept a mantis in captivity for awhile, she was so fun to feed and to watch. I finally let her go because I couldn't bear for her to die while in my care.

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