Level Up!
In the past two months, i have learned more about praying mantises than I ever expected to know. Ian is raising a batch of 'em. The batch size started at 300 babies, and is down to about 24 adolescents. If a half-dozen make it to adulthood, I will consider the breeding program a success.
These creatures are beautiful and fascinating and downright ugly all at once. They grow by molting, at which time they leave their old exoskeleton behind and don a new exterior. Interestingly, the size of the mantid between molds is quite predictable. That is to say, after undergoing five molts, all of the Level-5 mantids are essentially the same size. And they remain that size until they hit Level 6. So, you end up with a cohort of siblings that can be clearly divided into (for example) Level 3, Level 4, and Level 5 . The first creature to reach Level 6 is unmistakable -- he is way, way larger than all the others in the cage.
Fascinating! (And ugly.)
I am also learning a lot about breeding fruit flies as mantid food. Fruir flies are not fascinating - just ugly.
[Update] One of the Level 5s just figured out how to kill a cricket. Predator and prey are of similar mass. My money's on him to be the first Level 6.
These creatures are beautiful and fascinating and downright ugly all at once. They grow by molting, at which time they leave their old exoskeleton behind and don a new exterior. Interestingly, the size of the mantid between molds is quite predictable. That is to say, after undergoing five molts, all of the Level-5 mantids are essentially the same size. And they remain that size until they hit Level 6. So, you end up with a cohort of siblings that can be clearly divided into (for example) Level 3, Level 4, and Level 5 . The first creature to reach Level 6 is unmistakable -- he is way, way larger than all the others in the cage.
Fascinating! (And ugly.)
I am also learning a lot about breeding fruit flies as mantid food. Fruir flies are not fascinating - just ugly.
[Update] One of the Level 5s just figured out how to kill a cricket. Predator and prey are of similar mass. My money's on him to be the first Level 6.