Enter the Mantis

[Ken Ramos]

Appears as though our mantis has taken up martial arts! Look out for that "roundhouse" kick!






EOS 350D
1/200 sec. @ f/16 ISO 100
Canon 430EX Speedlite ETTL (-1/3)
EF-S 60mm f/2.8 Canon Macro

I don't know about everyone else but these new TruBrite WXGA wide screen displays would make a splattered bug on the windsheild look good.

[PeglegOS]

Makes me wonder why I ordered a microscope. Darn, you guys are good.

[Ken Ramos]

PeglegOS commented:

Makes me wonder why I ordered a microscope. Darn, you guys are good.

Hey, I started with a microscope too. The bunch that was and still is hanging out here, got me interested in macro. Don't fret, you will enjoy shooting images through that scope, I still enjoy taking them through mine occasionally. Thanks PeglegOS!

[MacroLuv]

Nice! Is it sign of that Mantis family elegance or this gay is belly pinched? Maybe I found only fatty ones. On first photograph it looks like he is preparing to catch something and on first and third he turned antennae down. Is it sign of a combative pose?

[Erland R.N.]

Great photos of this charming creature.

cheers Erland

[Ken Ramos]

Nikola asked:

On first photograph it looks like he is preparing to catch something and on first and third he turned antennae down. Is it sign of a combative pose?

Beats me Nikola, I know little about these insects other than that they can do a 180 with their heads and they are carnivorous. This one was found on a Sourwood tree and I imagine that they do not get much fatter well maybe a little and due to their markings it must help to disquise them as twigs on the trees.

Thanks Nikola & Erland!

[Carl_Constantine]

hiya! I'm waiting for him to break a leaf stock or something. Looks like Wu-shu moves to me :-)

Great Pictures Ken. Keep'em coming.

[Ken Ramos]

Carl said:

Looks like Wu-shu moves to me :-)

Wu-who Thanks Carl!

[beetleman]

Well Ken, you being a navy man, I thought you would know exactly what he is doing. He is guiding the next mantis in for a landing on the leaf like they do on the aircraft carriers. Picture one: he is telling him to level off. Picture two: your coming in too hot--throttle down a little. Picture three; a little more to the left. Ken, these shot are great. I love the first one. that is like a classic warning display like a crab or crayfish does..."Don`t mess with Me"

[MacroLuv]

Well Ken, I think you are hiding from us picture number four!

[Ken Ramos]

You know Doug I think your right. I never looked at it that away. This mantis would make a good LSO (Landing Signaling Officer for all of you non-aviation types). Thanks Doug!

No Nikola, actually there is not a fourth one but a bunch more that did not make it to processing. This guy was only about 2.5 to 3.0 inches long and was really hard to capture due to his size and the fact that there was a fairly good late summer breeze stirring, which made focusing quite difficult. So the other images got trashed. Thanks Nikola!

[MacroLuv]

I thought we will see fourth pic with mantis holdig head between hands and saying: Oh nooo, you missed the whole runway!

[Carl_Constantine]

Great Thought Doug (flag-mantis). As I look back at the images, I can see that too. Awesome.

Man we have such a fantastic and imaginative lot here!

[Charles Krebs]

Ken... like 'em all, but especially the body "language" of the first one!

[Ken Ramos]

Yeah I know what you mean Charlie, the first one is my favorite out of the set too. Thanks Charlie!