Unusual Nature Drama

Most of us are familiar with the story of the praying mantis! We have long been taught or read since we were children that the female praying mantis eats the head of the male after mating. I have long been in this world for decades, always observing nature with my own eyes or with camera, and yet i haven't seen the actual scene. 

This morning in my own garden i watched, observed and documented them with my own two eyes. Yes i am a witness of a big murder, cannibalism or whatever you call that. But this is a fact of their lives. It is a normal phenomenon for praying mantises. Documents say it is not always that the female eats the male after mating. Some say that it is because they observed them in laboratory conditions, but it might differ in the wild, outside captivity. 

I am watching the duranta bush, which is always teeming with butterflies. They not only nectar on this but also do the courtship dance in this mini world. Sometimes, territorial displays of driving away different species happen here. 

I was just watching them with my camera at hand, when a movement caught my attention. The head of the green male praying mantis is already gone, but their abdomens are still attached. The female maneuvered the legs and ate them next, then the wings followed.

 it is now eating the wings

 The National Geographic documents say normally the smaller males are eaten, but in this case the male is also big, maybe as big as the female.

 Only the body of the male is not finished yet, the female is still clutching it, with the abdomen claspers also clasping still the male abdomen. The drama lasted for a few minutes. At the above stage i left it as it is a bit yucky to watch the female eating the whole abdomen of its mate.

 So after a few minutes i went back, and it is already finished eating its mate. It then bent its abdomen in an act as if it is cleaning its abdomen's tip! I didn't know it can bend at that very sharp angle, 180°.

 This is the final picture of the very satisfied female mantis, with its belly bulging from the big size of the male mantis. I can almost discern the green color mirroring the green color of the male it just has devoured.

 It now just stayed on the duranta twigs, immobile, very heavy tummy. It now is assured that the eggs developing inside are fertilized and will eventually continue perpetuating its species. That is nature fulfilled. Despite the almost bizarre drama that took place, their nature is such, whatever means to perpetuate the species longevity!

Nature Notes

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