Tag Archives: March Mantid Madness

Update to previous post: Unlikely Sisters

Posted on March 9, 2016 by

Written by Joe Ballenger We try to keep track of new developments with the posts we write, so that people can keep up with what’s going on in science. So if there’s a really significant update to something we’ve written … Continue reading →

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The Last of the March Mantids: High School Steroptypes!

Posted on March 30, 2015 by

Written by Nancy Miorelli and Joe Ballenger It’s the end of the month, and our March Mantids theme month seems to have been a pretty big success. It was a lot of fun for us, because we got to talk … Continue reading →

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Crouching Tiger … Fighting Mantis

Posted on March 26, 2015 by

Written by Nancy Miorelli I love this project because sometimes we get completely  random but interesting questions. Like where Mantis Kung Fu came from. Turns out there’s two distinct styles and many sub styles within them, so the answer is … Continue reading →

Posted in Culture | Tagged , , , , , | 2 Comments

Mantids and Cannibalism: a Surprisingly Complicated Affair.

Posted on March 23, 2015 by

Written by Joe Ballenger Mantises, as we’ve seen, are interesting animals with a lot more going on than what it seems. They’re efficient predators which have an evolutionary history that many wouldn’t suspect, and they have their own weird biological … Continue reading →

Posted in Behavior | Tagged , , , , | 3 Comments

The Daily Catch: Patience and Spring Traps

Posted on March 19, 2015 by

Written by Nancy Miorelli The other day I received an email from a former student about the persistence and strength demonstrated by praying mantises. Yes, she did say birds. It is pretty amazing when you think about how mantises can capture … Continue reading →

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Unlikely Sisters – Roaches and Mantises

Posted on March 16, 2015 by

Written by Nancy Miorelli Cockroaches (Blattodea) and Mantises (Mantodea). They’re both insects. They’ve got their six legs, three segmented body parts, and a Johnston’s organ which guarantee them a spot in the class Insecta. But as it turns out, they’re more closely … Continue reading →

Posted in Taxonomy | Tagged , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Why do Mantids Only Have One Ear?

Posted on March 12, 2015 by

Written by Joe Ballenger In my opinion, one of the more interesting questions about mantids we received concerns how they hear. As humans, we have two independently functioning ears which are located on our head. This works very well for … Continue reading →

Posted in Behavior, Physiology | Tagged , , , , , | 3 Comments