These pocket-sized predators are formidable hunters. But when it comes to hooking up, male mantises have good reason to fear commitment. nnS...
These pocket-sized predators are formidable hunters. But when it comes to hooking up, male mantises have good reason to fear commitment. nnSUBSCRIBE to Deep Look! http://goo.gl/8NwXqtnnDEEP LOOK is a ultra-HD (4K) short video series created by KQED San Francisco and presented by PBS Digital Studios. See the unseen at the very edge of our visible world. Get a new perspective on our place in the universe. Explore big scientific mysteries by going incredibly small.nn* NEW VIDEOS EVERY OTHER TUESDAY! *nnMike Maxwell recently finished a ninth season studying the love life of the praying mantises that live around Bishop, a town in California’s Eastern Sierra.nnOver that time, he’s seen some unsettlingly strange behaviors.nnIt’s pretty common knowledge that female mantises sometimes eat males during or after mating — a habit that biologists call “sexual cannibalism.” nnBut among the bordered mantises that Maxwell researches, it gets weirder than that.nnAs it turns out, when a male mantis loses his head, it doesn’t mean he loses the urge to procreate.nnYou read that right. Not only can some male bordered mantises continue mating even while being attacked by their female counterparts, some males are able to mount a female and initiate mating even after getting their heads completely bitten off.nn“It’s a really weird, strange behavior,” said Maxwell, “So what’s going on? Why do they do it?”nn-- What do praying mantises eat?nnPraying mantises are mostly ambush predators that typically eat small animals like grasshoppers, crickets, bees, crickets and butterflies . They use camouflage to hide themselves and wait for their prey to come within striking distance. Then they use their raptorial forelimbs to grab their prey. Spikes on their forelimbs help them hold their prey while they eat.nn-- Why do praying mantises eat each other?nnFemale praying mantises sometimes eat males that approach them to mate. They are only able to do this because mantises are predators and the female mantises are bigger and stronger than the males.nn-- Do praying mantises bite?nnMost mantises will not bite people but they will pinch people with their forelimbs to defend themselves. It feels a lot like getting bit, trust me.nn---+ Read the entire article on KQED Science:nnhttps://ww2.kqed.org/science/2017/11/14/praying-mantis-love-is-waaay-weirder-than-you-think-deep-look/nn---+ For more information:nnDr. Michael Maxwell, National Universitynhttps://www.nu.edu/OurPrograms/CollegeOfLettersAndSciences/MathematicsAndNaturalSciences/Faculty/MichelRMaxwell.htmlnn---+ More Great Deep Look episodes:nnIt’s a Goopy Mess When Pines and Beetles Duke it Out | Deep Looknhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wR5O48zsbncnnThese Whispering, Walking Bats Are Onto Something | Deep Looknhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l2py029bwhA&t=3snnThere's Something Very Fishy About These Trees ... | Deep Looknhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rZWiWh5acbE&t=1snnn---+ See some great videos and documentaries from PBS Digital Studios!nnHow Your Rubber Ducky Explains Colonialism | Origin of Everythingnhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BWjzOcIIxgMnnWhen Whales Walked | PBS Eonsnhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_OSRKtT_9vwnnThe Cheerios Effect | It’s OK To Be Smartnhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mbKAwk-OG_wnnn---+ Follow KQED SciencennKQED Science: http://www.kqed.org/sciencenTumblr: http://kqedscience.tumblr.comnTwitter: https://www.twitter.com/kqedsciencenn---+ About KQEDnnnKQED, an NPR and PBS affiliate in San Francisco, CA, serves Northern California and beyond with a public-supported alternative to commercial TV, Radio and web media.nnFunding for Deep Look is provided in part by PBS Digital Studios and the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation. Deep Look is a project of KQED Science, which is also supported by HopeLab, the S. D. Bechtel, Jr. Foundation, the Dirk and Charlene Kabcenell Foundation, the Vadasz Family Foundation, the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation, the Smart Family Foundation and the members of KQED. Less
