Mantis and snake in harmony?

[ConcinusMan]

About 10 days ago I found an adult mantis and put it in the big enclosure with all the big snakes. I didn't know what to expect, or why I did that, but this "bug" snagged a piece of night crawler from the mouth of a big t.s. concinnus girl last night and devoured it.

Today I'm feeding the snakes and this mantis seemed to have caught on that it was feeding time and he rode the back of this big concinnus girl like he was her jockey. I couldn't believe what I was seeing. :eek: So, I purposely gave the snake a long piece and sure enough, the mantis rode and climbed up to her neck and snagged a piece hanging off, then graciously rode the snake back down to the bottom of the enclosure.

I kid not. It happened!:eek: (no proof):cool:

Incidentally, I've never seen a mantis go for worm either:confused:

[guidofatherof5]

Sounds very cool.
Any fear the mantis will bite or injure one of the snakes? It is still capeable of delivery a bite to them.

[ConcinusMan]

At first I had him in the baby tank and I did think of that. And of course, the mantis did try to catch one of the babies. I can tell you he never tried that again! He just hangs out in one of the plants or upside down on the screen top and pretty much just leaves the snakes alone and they leave him alone. At some point the poor thing got hungry and figured out he could steal food from the snakes and he's been doing it ever since. He just rides on their backs waiting for an opportunity.

[Tyrel26]

Well how about you make one of those nice HD videos of it, should be very interesting!

[ConcinusMan]

I'll sure try but it isn't easy.:cool:

[Tyrel26]

Nothing worth doing ever is. I hope youre able to get a video tho, would be pretty amazing.

[mustang]

cool now u see the effect of an invasive species (in a non invasive way)...competition

[ConcinusMan]

Oh heck, grasshoppers of several species used to infest any grassy area around here. Now you only see none, or very few so I have definitely seen the effect of the mantids arrival here in the early 90's.

I did make an attempt to video what I told you about. I did get some mantis/snake interaction but like I said, it isn't easy!

I'll post it soon. Converting and uploading to do first.;)

[ConcinusMan]

Here's a video of mantis and snakes:

-QVT_Un89-M

[ConcinusMan]

I'll buy some worms today and give it another try. I'll try to catch him in the act of taking a piece from the snakes this time.

[aSnakeLovinBabe]

Careful! He may become extra hungry one day and attempt to chew on one of your snakes. not saying that this is common... but i am sure it happens more than we'd like to think! Mantids are opportunistic and somewhat bold when it comes to hunting... they will chew pieces out of things that are too big for them to fully consume! I have kept mantids every year since I have 6 or 7 and I myself have witnessed them attempt to eat things larger than themselves. They have a nasty bite too... had one chew a good sized chunk out of my skin in just a few seconds! They form no companionships and take no prisoners... they do not even tolerate each other and of course, have no qualms about eating one another even during mating! They are smart little buggers... but not nearly intelligent enough to recognize the fact that the snakes are preparing to feed... although it is a nice notion and he does appear to be pretty active. My favorite thing about mantids is the fact that no matter which way they turn their head, they always appear to be staring right at you! Yours does indeed appear to be a male... a female this time of year should be swollen and bogged down with eggs. Enjoy him while he lasts... his time is coming! A month or so and he will die... I always am a little sad when my mantids die off every year in november.

for fun... here's an old clip that pretty much everyone has seen by now.

YouTube - Praying Mantis Attacks Snake! (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sT0Lyrwyh5E)

[infernalis]

First time I have seen that Shannon, Thanks for posting the link.

[ConcinusMan]

They are smart little buggers... but not nearly intelligent enough to recognize the fact that the snakes are preparing to feed...

You haven't seen what I've seen. He recognizes the commotion and goes rushing toward it, and makes multiple attempts to climb one of the snakes so he can get in the middle of it. And then there was the snatching of a worm piece from the snakes mouth. I think it only took that one time and now he tries to repeat that success every time the snakes get worked up at feeding time. I do make sure he gets something to eat every couple of days so he isn't starving. He doesn't show any signs of aggression toward the snakes at all. He stays out of their way for the most part, unless they are eating that is. When I first got him, I put him in the baby tank and he did try catching one of the babies but they whipped him around and beat the heck out of him, and he never tried again that I know of but later I put him in the adult tank, thinking that's probably safer. He's nowhere near the size of that mantis eating the snake in your video.

It is that time of year and he's fully mature. I had a male and a huge female one year. They mated and the male died a few days later, uneaten. The female laid two egg containers over a period of a week or so, and she died after that. It was late November so yeah, he's near the end of his life.