Author Topic: To Kill a Hummingbird ... (Let Us Prey!)  (Read 3265 times)

uwe

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To Kill a Hummingbird ... (Let Us Prey!)
« on: September 26, 2017, 05:33:11 PM »
Ferocious lil' green fella, ain't it?  :mrgreen:

https://www.nytimes.com/2017/09/22/science/praying-mantis-eating-birds.html?em_pos=large&emc=edit_sc_20170926&nl=science-times&nlid=79166635&ref=img&te=1&_r=0



We learn: Nature is more creative than man. It will turn a hummingbird feeder into one for praeying mantises.  :mrgreen:
« Last Edit: September 26, 2017, 05:41:34 PM by uwe »
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BTL

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Re: To Kill a Hummingbird ... (Let Us Prey!)
« Reply #1 on: September 26, 2017, 06:52:28 PM »
Fascinating.

gearHed289

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Re: To Kill a Hummingbird ... (Let Us Prey!)
« Reply #2 on: September 27, 2017, 06:56:54 AM »
Wow! They're apparently taking on large lizards too.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dpBwF6oP7K0

uwe

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Re: To Kill a Hummingbird ... (Let Us Prey!)
« Reply #3 on: September 27, 2017, 07:38:11 AM »
Oh my, those follow-up Godzilla films were beyond corny! Endearing.
We've taken too much for granted ... and all the time it had grown ...
From techno seeds we first planted ... evolved a mind of its own ...

TBird1958

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Re: To Kill a Hummingbird ... (Let Us Prey!)
« Reply #4 on: September 27, 2017, 10:32:07 AM »

 I've only seen a Mantis twice in my almost 60 years, interestingly both times they were clinging to the of the building I work at in Tacoma, Wa. Can they change color?  This one is obviously trying to blend in a bit.

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Highlander

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Re: To Kill a Hummingbird ... (Let Us Prey!)
« Reply #5 on: September 27, 2017, 12:04:21 PM »
No colour changing variants I'm aware of... but lots of variants...
The random mind of a Silver Surfer...
If research was easy, it wouldn't need doing...
Staring at that event horizon is a dirty job, but someone has to do it; something's going to come back out of it one day...

westen44

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Re: To Kill a Hummingbird ... (Let Us Prey!)
« Reply #6 on: September 27, 2017, 03:25:50 PM »
I saw them quite a few times when I was a boy.  My reaction was always the same.  I found them eerie and revolting.  Later on I heard about some of the things they do--like the female biting the head off the male.  I've learned even more from that article.  I didn't know they were so closely related to cockroaches, for example. 
It's not those who write the laws that have the greatest impact on society.  It's those who write the songs.

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Psycho Bass Guy

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Re: To Kill a Hummingbird ... (Let Us Prey!)
« Reply #7 on: September 27, 2017, 06:09:34 PM »
I've seen tons of 'em. Mostly green ones, a few brown. The green ones seem to be bigger across the board, averaging around 6-8 inches. The brown ones are about half to 2/3 that and skinnier. There was a small brown one that lived in my backyard that had it OUT for my ex-wife a few years ago. Anytime she was outside, it would stalk and chase her. It never bothered me. I was mowing the yard earlier this year and looked over my left shoulder to see a huge green one (twice or more the size of the one in Uwe's pic) perched there just catching a ride. It never bothered me and flew off.
« Last Edit: September 27, 2017, 06:25:33 PM by Psycho Bass Guy »

gearHed289

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Re: To Kill a Hummingbird ... (Let Us Prey!)
« Reply #8 on: September 28, 2017, 07:51:58 AM »
I always found them fascinating and are my favorite insect (everyone has a favorite insect, right?). Never saw one in these parts up until a few years ago. Now they're popping up like crazy.

uwe

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Re: To Kill a Hummingbird ... (Let Us Prey!)
« Reply #9 on: September 28, 2017, 08:24:13 AM »
They were frequent in Zaire/Congo, the green, large ones. I thought they looked cool, even kept one of them as a pet (try keeping two as pets and you VERY SOON end up with just one ...  :mrgreen: ). There was nothing it would not eat as long as it moved and could be overpowered.  ;D Always felt that praying mantises were a partial inspiration to the Alien monster. They don't change color, just different species.

Pretty much like spiders, they're mainly insect killers (give or take the odd hummingbird, ok ...) and don't do any harm to people at all. It drives me nuts when Edith with her arachnophobia kills all the spiders in our apartment (this time of year they become frequent looking for a warm place), I always go "Leave it, it's a Nützling***!" And she goes (imagine slapping noise): "Not anymore, it ain't! It's either spiders or me here."   :-\

***beneficial insect

« Last Edit: September 28, 2017, 10:57:45 AM by uwe »
We've taken too much for granted ... and all the time it had grown ...
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westen44

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Re: To Kill a Hummingbird ... (Let Us Prey!)
« Reply #10 on: September 28, 2017, 09:23:27 AM »
I was always interested in science fiction.  So comparing the praying mantis to an alien creature was something that came to mind from time to time.  But I was more fascinated by something like the granddaddy long-legs spider. 
It's not those who write the laws that have the greatest impact on society.  It's those who write the songs.

--Blaise Pascal

TBird1958

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Re: To Kill a Hummingbird ... (Let Us Prey!)
« Reply #11 on: September 28, 2017, 09:56:59 AM »
They were frequent in Zaire/Congo, the green, large ones. I thought they looked cool, even kept one of them as a pet (try keeping two as pets and you VERY SOON end up with just one ...  :mrgreen: ). There was nothing it would not eat as long as it moved and could be overpowered.  ;D Always felt that praying mantises were a partial inspiration to the Alien monster. They don't change color, just different species.

Pretty much like spiders, they're mainly insect killers (give or take the odd hummingbird, ok ...) and don't do any harm to people at all. It drives me nuts when Edith with her arachnophobia kills all the spiders in our apartment (this time of year they become frequent looking for a warm place), I always go "Leave it, it's a Nützling***!" And she goes (imagine slapping noise): "Not anymore, it ain't! It's either spiders or me here."   :-\


 It seems Edith and I have arachnophobia in common, I go out of my way to kill them in the house - and it scares me to do it!
Funny though, I like the two mantis a lot and find them fascinating and I really like beetles a lot too, any errant ones are always given safe passage.   




***beneficial insect
« Last Edit: September 28, 2017, 10:58:58 AM by uwe »
Resident T Bird playing Drag Queen www.thenastyhabits.com  "Impülsivê", the new lush fragrance as worn by the unbelievable Fräulein Rômmélle! Traces of black patent leather, Panzer grease, mahogany and model train oil mingle and combust to one sheer sensation ...

Rob

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Re: To Kill a Hummingbird ... (Let Us Prey!)
« Reply #12 on: September 28, 2017, 05:33:08 PM »
Pretty common in the mid-west everywhere. . . But not as bird eaters.
Here in Florida just their cousins walking sticks.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phasmatodea

uwe

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Re: To Kill a Hummingbird ... (Let Us Prey!)
« Reply #13 on: September 29, 2017, 04:21:54 AM »
I always thought those cool too.

Anything locust-like attracts me, Hopper is my favourite Pixar villain!



I always thought he had a little Lee van Cleef/Henry Fonda Spaghetti Western bad guy in him.
We've taken too much for granted ... and all the time it had grown ...
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Highlander

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Re: To Kill a Hummingbird ... (Let Us Prey!)
« Reply #14 on: September 29, 2017, 12:24:17 PM »
Kevin Spacey's voice...
The random mind of a Silver Surfer...
If research was easy, it wouldn't need doing...
Staring at that event horizon is a dirty job, but someone has to do it; something's going to come back out of it one day...