The Gin Trap
Aug 14th, 2009 by Karthik
Each member of the group that was with me, without exception, was stunned by the beauty of a butterfly fluttering near a cluster of flowers. Little did they realise that it was the helpless flutter of the butterfly in its last throes of life - a praying mantis had a stranglehold on the butterfly. They were all aghast when I drew their attention to it. Some of us watched the praying mantis get its meal while others watched dumbfounded the slow death of the butterfly. A while later, the wings of the butterfly floated in the air before it fell to the ground.
The praying mantis often referred to, as a “gin trap” is truly an amazing predator! This picture depicts just this ability of the praying mantis to catch prey larger than itself. And, for this purpose, it is very well equipped. If one takes a close look at the first pair of legs of a praying mantis, the spines on its legs become obvious. The spines on the two sides of the “knee” are complementary thereby making escape for the captured prey almost impossible. Besides, many species of praying mantis have colours that help them blend in with their surroundings. All this makes a praying mantis a formidable predator.
Some species of praying mantis commonly referred to as “flower mantis” have a stunning resemblance to the flowers amidst which they hide. They have protrusions on their body to give them their flower-like appearance. By doing so, they make a meal of the insects like bees and butterflies which visit flowers.
So the next time you manage to locate one of these little creatures pay attention to all the characters that make them perfectly adapted for a predatory life.
Beautiful shot! Poor butterfly. I wonder what to think about the predator-prey relationship. When I saw a cheetah chase a gazelle in the Serengeti, my heart was in my mouth, willing the little gazelle to run faster. It escaped, and as the tired cheetah stopped and stared, I saw her cubs in the distance. She would have to try again, to feed them. Whom to feel sorry for?!
That..is such a wonderful photograph Karthik! Was this during this NTP? And is it called the “praying” or “preying” mantis? “Praying” would be because it does look as if it’s praying…and “Preying” because its such a voracious predator….
Certainly, I watch such scenes with a more pragmatic mind these days, but still there are moments of tension!
great shot! and we once had a praying mantis in magic puddles which we were all looking at from a distance. the little creature, undeterred by our size actually but its head and front legs up and took an aggressive pose instead of taking flight. Brave warrior!
I remember that on a Lalbagh 2nd Sunday outing about 2 years ago, you had shown us a tiny mantis, the size and colour of an ant. I recently saw another of those in IISc, and showed it to my friend’s daughter. If you hadn’t pointed it out to us, I would have just dismissed it as another ant!
Yes, I agree with Deepa mohan , excellent photography that butter fly looks so cute. I just saw that butter fly in movies. Great work.
Amazing story with a tinge of sadness attached to it. Great colors in the picture.