Mantis foreleg

Charles Krebs · Post by **Charles Krebs** » Sat Jan 22, 2011 1:25 am

This is a shot that makes it obvious why a mantis is so effective at catching and holding prey. This shows a portion of the femur (on right) and tibia (on left). The joint connecting them would be above and outside the image area.

I've included a small diagram that shows the approximate region photographed. In the diagram the leg is not closed as much as in the picture.

Schneider Componon 35/4, f/4 at about 5.8X. Canon 50D. 54 image stack with Zerene Stacker.

gmazza · Post by **gmazza** » Sat Jan 22, 2011 9:21 am

They look very efficient, some of them looks well used, like a lot your subject preparation, no even sign of dirt or distracting artifacts.

g4lab · Post by **g4lab** » Sat Jan 22, 2011 1:54 pm

And we may thank the Creator that they are not big enough to be interested in humanoids.

Joaquim F. · Post by **Joaquim F.** » Sat Jan 22, 2011 2:44 pm

Looks like a terrific weapons!

Slinkytreekreeper · Post by **Slinkytreekreeper** » Mon Feb 21, 2011 7:34 pm

This is a stunning stack, super clean and it looks as if it could have been a single shot of a huge raptorial, I dream of getting this close. Thanks for posting Charles

On a side note, if mantids did get as big as humans, apparently they would not be able to breath through their spiracles due to the mass or the abdomen.

Mantis foreleg

Mantis foreleg

georgeous