Praying Mantis Makes Meal of a Hummer

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. - BWD

The other day while I was working in the yard my son urgently called to me. "Dad, a praying mantis caught a hummingbird!"



The mantis captures the bird with a swift swipe of its forelegs.

My son is not one to make things up, so I came running to see for myself. By the time I arrived it was too late for the poor hummer and my scientifically minded son had already begun taking pictures and studying the scene.


As you can see from the photographs this hungry mantis captured and killed a hummingbird not much smaller than itself. The mantis used its spiny left foreleg to impale the hummingbird through the chest while leaving his right leg free.

We surmised that the mantis ran the hummer through and dangled its full weight on its foreleg while he consumed the flesh of the hummingbird from the abdomen. After he had his fill, the mantis gave his foreleg several swift jerks and freed his leg.



The mantis impales the hummingbird's chest with its foreclaws.

This was an unfortunate experience for the hummer, but we are amazed to realize how fast, precise, and powerful the mantis must be to accomplish such a feat!

Richard L. Walkup

West Chester, PA

ewwwww poor hummingbird... :mellow:

I read hummingbirds are prode to die of shock.

You can scare them to death.

hummber probably croacked when it found the praying mantis can go further on less fuel, and gets laid more often... /b6

Male mantis's only get laid once. Then they are lunch

not if he's quicker than her.... 7imt78

the lure of the female traps him....

Lure my ass...it's probably the "mickey" she slipped in his drink... yh67h7

No "micky" needed...he comes willingly on his own.

It ain't the "coming" part that's being debated..it's the staying and getting his head bitten off... iy88767

ahhhh she knows he's just going to leave anyway...this way she saves herself the heartbreak....plus, she knows he's never been with anyone else...:lol:

True...unless of course, his first, was a very slow female... b667ur

She'll still never have to worry about him cheating on her... ^_^

So very true...of course, if she just bit off the other head, than she wouldn't have to worry about it either...and he'd suffer longer... n7rryb

Yeah, but then she wouldn't get "any" from that point on unless she cheated on him...so it's really better that he just die.... :lol:

true...sad..but true...see, love is always sooo complicated for women... nr6

Not really...we just want it all...hehee