Came across these pictures online today and I thought they were crazy!
I bet this hummingbird was thinking he should have said his prayers last night!
Picture 1.
The mantis captures the bird with a swift swipe of its forelegs.
Picture 2.
The mantis impales the hummingbird’s chest with its foreclaws.
From the website:
Though we tend to think of hummingbirds as cute, dainty little things, in reality they make bold and fierce competitors. They don’t let their guard down for a moment while defending their territories from other hummingbirds. They must also watch out for other animals that might prey on them, such as American kestrels in North America or tarantulas in South America. Praying mantises are also known to capture and kill hummingbirds, as a reader from West Chester, Pennsylvania, describes. - Bird Watcher Digest
Hummingbird pwned. Amazing stuff, I never thought a praying mantis could tackle a hummingbird.
I didn’t thought before that a praying mantis can be that huge and preyed on birds. Are they bored of insects?
@Kenny
know what you mean. I never thought they could do that either. I see them in the summer near my folks place – I’m never going near one AGAIN!
@ Wayne
I knew they were that big, but remember hummingbirds are that small.. . . .. .
yeah, he must have been bored.
bloody hell, that’s brutal! nIce.
isn’t it!!!
I thought it was pretty crazy!!
Completely shocked me, I simply had no idea Praying Mantis’ were so evil!
I was wondering what some of the more mature members here do about dating. It seems much harder for older singles to find a mate, so I might be turning to online dating for older singles.
any suggestions? thanks.
This brought a tear to my eye :’(
wow that is crazy, it just impaled its chest?? thats a strong punch…wow thanks for the pics
really-really crazy
you’re rock and funny carzy
Thats really really sad and I don’t get why some of you people think it’s crazy, or cool, or even funny!! I think it’s sad and whoever was taking the pics should of helped that poor hummingbird. p.s. I DON’T CARE IF IT’S ”JUST NATURE” BECAUSE I LOVE ANIMALS!!
@ Ali
I love animals too, I’m always taking things home when I see them hurt but trust me the bird was done for by the first blow even if the person taking the picture had taken it away from the mantis. Hummingbirds have a heart rate that’s twice as fast as that of a mouse, add that to the fact that birds are extremely sensitive to trauma, the thing was most likely dead from a heart attack the second it was caught. I’ve seen hummingbirds drop from the sky dead because a larger bird came too close to catching it. The poor thing was dead no matter what anyone did.
@ everyone else
Ali is right though its not particularly funny or cool, perhaps a better way of saying it is awe inspiring the fact that an insect with no red muscle is capable of moving at such speeds that it can catch one of the fastest avians in North America. I’m impressed at the creatures ability but also saddened that people would consider this entertainment.