Derald

Just over nine years, so right about the point where the Chief's Mess starts plying you with phrases like "oh man, that's almost ten, and if you do ten, you might as well do twenty!" lol.

I was attached to the Connecticut for sea duty, and its overhaul took roughly half a decade, so the most ports I got to see were Pearl and Ketchikan during Sea Trials and shakedown runs, unfortunately.  I did have a full deployment on one of the Ohios, but since their entire mission is to go lurk somewhere in case a weird world leader decides to get froggy, it was basically three months of Five Knots To Nowhere with a permanent forecast of 60°F and fluourescent, haha.

But I did get to see far more of the country than most of my family or friends back home ever have or will, and in the process fell in love with the Pacific Northwest, so I count myself fortunate in that regard.

How about you?

Fun fact here, I just finished my enlistments two months ago. 

Cropped out your rank tab, but not your surname, I see.  =P  But also, congratulations for putting in the effort to get your warfare qualification.  I know it doesn't mean as much to the surface community as the submarine warfare does to ours, but it still takes effort and knowledge, so good on you.

Enjoy the new PT standards lol

[quote name='The13thMan'][COLOR=DarkOrange][FONT=Century Gothic]I didn't realize there was any confusion that needed to be cleared up.

You did say you wanted some arthropods, didn't you?

I don't know a lot about bugs/insects/spiders and whatnot, so please do educate me.
[/FONT][/COLOR][/QUOTE]


[FONT="Arial"][SIZE="1"]I think he was referring to when you called the goliath tarantula the most badass [i]insect[/i], when it is most certainly an arachnid. Not to say arachnids aren't welcome in an entomology thread, but calling a spider an insect is like calling a hummingbird a beetle. Though it is very likely that you just mis-typed and there really [i]is[/i] nothing that needs clearing up.

General rule of thumb:
Six legs= Insect.
Eight legs= Arachnid.

Not always true, but for the most part.



Edit: I would also like to add another critter. Rather than the largest, I'm going to talk about one of the tiniest most common creatures that most people see on a regular basis without even knowing it.

Dust Mites.
[img]http://www.camden.rutgers.edu/~bwhitlow/AMULET/webpagestuff/dads_dust_mite.jpg[/img]

These little critters are the cause of most allergens. They are also quite common. Dust mites are small, but it is possible to see them on a black surface with a magnifying glass. They feed on dust particles, mainly dead skin. They are disgusting and live from 30 days to 10 weeks, and can lay 500 eggs in a five week period.

They are also very resilient, bleach and other houshold cleaners can't kill them. The best you can do is keep your house as dust-free as possible.

[/SIZE][/FONT]

[quote name='Desbreko'][color=#4B0082]Your link is broken, The13thMan. It should be pointing to [url=http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2006/10/061027-tarantula-video.html]http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2006/10/061027-tarantula-video.html[/url].

Speaking of arthropods eating small rodents and birds, I found this [url=http://www.birdwatchersdigest.com/site/backyardbirds/hummingbirds/mantis-hummer.aspx][u]article[/u][/url] about a praying mantis eating a hummingbird. It's got pics, too:

[center][img]http://img235.imageshack.us/img235/8349/mantiscatcheshummingbirmi4.jpg[/img][/center]
I'm torn between feeling sorry for the hummingbird and cheering on the mantis. I think it's pretty awesome that the mantis could catch something that big.[/color][/QUOTE]

[COLOR=DarkOrange][FONT=Century Gothic]Dad-gurn-et! Well, thank ya very much for alerting me of the problem... and ousting me in my own game!

That mantis is pretty incredible. I actually recalled a picture of a goliath tarantula taking down a bird but couldn't ever find it on the web. Haha, get it? Anyways, that's just awesome.


[/FONT][/COLOR]

[color=#4B0082]Your link is broken, The13thMan. It should be pointing to [url=http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2006/10/061027-tarantula-video.html]http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2006/10/061027-tarantula-video.html[/url].

Speaking of arthropods eating small rodents and birds, I found this [url=http://www.birdwatchersdigest.com/site/backyardbirds/hummingbirds/mantis-hummer.aspx][u]article[/u][/url] about a praying mantis eating a hummingbird. It's got pics, too:

[center][img]http://img235.imageshack.us/img235/8349/mantiscatcheshummingbirmi4.jpg[/img][/center]
I'm torn between feeling sorry for the hummingbird and cheering on the mantis. I think it's pretty awesome that the mantis could catch something that big.[/color]

[url=http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2006/10/061027-tarantula-video.html]http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2006/10/061027-tarantula-video.html[/url].
[COLOR=DarkOrange][FONT=Century Gothic]
The goliath tarantula is arguably the biggest spider in the world. This thing can eat small mammals! It's known for taking down birds! o_0 To me, this is the most bad *** of all insects. I mean... dang! Watch the video, you'll see what i'm talkin' about.

This picture makes my skin crawl....[/FONT][/COLOR]

[IMG]http://www.kingsnake.com/suncoastherpsociety/images/tarantula1.jpg[/IMG]

[SIZE="1"][FONT="Arial"]The time has come, once again, for sakurasuka to reenter this thread with the next creepy-crawly-many-legged installment. Meet the Red Roman Spider*.

Solifugid-
[img]http://www.museums.org.za/bio/images/scorpions/sol1.jpg[/img]

Ranging from 15-70mm (160mm including legs), these terrifying creatures aren't really very harmful to humans. Their venom is not deadly, but they have powerful jaws. They are carnivorous creatures who feed on anything from bugs to rats and small birds.

One thing that is particularly unpleasant is that solifugae prefer hair for nesting, so it is not uncommon for them to approach sleeping humans and dogs and collect hair. They are common mostly the Africa.



*Technically, the Red Roman, or solifugae, is not a spider in the least. It is closely related, however. They also go by the name of Sun Spiders, though they, ironically, flee from sunlight and prefer dark spaces. Most Red Romans are nocturnal.[/FONT][/SIZE]

[QUOTE=Dagger]My post won't follow the same format as most of the rest of the thread, since I just wanted to say that I thought this [url=http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2006/03/0308_060308_spider.html][u] short article[/u][/url] was quite interesting. I'm still trying to wrap my mind around the spider's body structure--even with the labeled photograph included, it doesn't totally make sense to me. Pretty interesting stuff, though.

~Dagger~[/QUOTE][color=#4B0082]o_O It looks like it has the abdomen of a spider, the thorax of a praying mantis, and the legs of a grasshopper. . . . The platypus of the arthropods?

And I'll also vouch for dragonflies biting when handled. They don't care if they're just sitting on you, but hold one in place and you'll find that sucker chomping down on your finger. Not that it hurts much--at least not from the common Darner dragonflies. Now, when I caught an alligator lizard and it latched onto my finger, that hurt. . . . But that's a different subject.[/color]

My post won't follow the same format as most of the rest of the thread, since I just wanted to say that I thought this [url=http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2006/03/0308_060308_spider.html][u] short article[/u][/url] was quite interesting. I'm still trying to wrap my mind around the spider's body structure--even with the labeled photograph included, it doesn't totally make sense to me. Pretty interesting stuff, though.

~Dagger~

To be completely honest with you, the first thing I thought of when I saw this thread was Gil Grissom from CSI. :animeswea
Personally, I'm not a fan of bugs. I really hate bugs. [I]Especially[/I] spiders. Where I'm from we get black widows, and I swear I'm definately not going to be able to sleep tonite!
Soooo to make me not so wussy compared to you entomology buffs, I decided to contribute my own kinda bug.
[IMG]http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/0/0e/Ladybug_on_a_leaf.jpg/250px-Ladybug_on_a_leaf.jpg[/IMG]
That's right the Ladybug!
[B]Scientific classification [/B]
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Order: Coleoptera
Suborder: Polyphaga
Infraorder: Cucujiformia
Superfamily: Cucujoidea
Family: Coccinellidae
Latreille, 1807

Other interesting facts:
Ladybirds are found worldwide, with over 4,500 species described, more than 450 native to North America alone.

Ladybirds are small insects, ranging from 1 mm to 10 mm (0.04 to 0.4 inches), and are usually yellow, orange, or red with small black spots on their carapace, with black legs, head and feelers.

This next one has a little parental discretion...
[SPOILER]The ladybird beetle copulates for up to nine hours at a time, and males may have three 90-minute orgasms in one session[/SPOILER] :animeblus

Ladybirds are beneficial to organic gardeners because most species are insectivores, consuming aphids, fruit flies, thrips, and other tiny plant-sucking insects that damage crops

Thank God for Wikipedia!

[quote name='Derald][SIZE=1][COLOR=DarkRed]As many may know, there is no better way to learn something than by experience. Although many sources say that dragonflies are harmless, I know, for a fact, that they do actually bite, regardless of how much research institutions deny it. How do I know? Approximately 6 years ago, while I lived in New York, I used to go to a friend's house and chase dragonflies. As I did this more, I eventually caught one with my bare hands and held it up to see. Being cuious, I placed my finger next to its mouthparts. Upon doing this I was given qiute a painful bite - data acquired. This, however, is only personal experience, not general statistics.[/SIZE'][/COLOR][/quote]
[FONT=Times New Roman][COLOR=DarkSlateGray]I was also pulling this from my general experiences (as well as from Wikipedia). My dad's a river guide (among other things) so every summer we usually take week-long river trips. Dragonflies usually live near bodies of water, their young being aquatic and all, so they're fairly common on the river. Generally, they mind their own business if you mind yours. Even if they land on you, they'll sooner fly off than bite if you move suddenly. Of course, many creatures will bite you if you try to touch them, so I'm not surprised that a dragonfly would (especially considering how big their chompers are).[/FONT][/COLOR]

[quote name='Derald][SIZE=1][COLOR=DarkRed]Now, even though they are virtually the fastest insect on the planet, it is a common misconception that they are able to reach speeds of 60 mph. They are, in fact, only able to reach speeds of about 25-30 mph, with cruising speeds of around 10 mph.. It may not sound fast to you, but it is indeed fast for an insect. Don't believe me? Check this [URL=http://www.dragonflysoc.org.uk/frameset.htm?faq&faq]link.[/URL][/SIZE'][/COLOR][/quote]
[FONT=Times New Roman][COLOR=DarkSlateGray]In this case, I got this information from Wikipedia. It's not always the most reliable source, but it did say that the Common Green Darner dragonfly ([i]Anax junius[/i]) can reach speeds of 53 mph (about 85 km/h). I don't know what the source for this one is, but it's always best to take Wikipedia information with a grain of salt.[/FONT][/COLOR]

[FONT=Times New Roman][COLOR=DarkSlateGray]I can't believe you guys haven't mentioned this one yet:

[IMG]http://www.brocross.com/dfly/species/pics/Anax%20imperator%20m%201a%2015-6-04.jpg[/IMG]
The Dragonfly! The one in the picture is a male Emperor Dragonfly ([i]Anax imperator[/i]).

[b]Kingdom:[/b] Animalia
[b]Phylum:[/b] Arthropoda
[b]Class:[/b] Insecta
[b]Order:[/b] Odonata
[b]Suborder:[/b] Epiprocta
[b]Infraorder:[/b] Anisoptera

Dragonflies are probably my favorite type of insect. They're completely harmless to humans, having no sort of bite or sting, but are ruthlessly efficient at keeping down mosquito and midge populations. Anything that does that is good in my book.

Trivia:

They are the world's fastest insects, able to reach speeds of up to 60 mph.

The largest modern species of dragonfly is the [i]Anax strenuus,[/i] a species native to Hawaii, with a wingspan of 7.5 inches (19 cm). The smallest is the [i]Nannophya pygmaea,[/i] with a wingspan of 3/4 (about 20 mm).

The largest prehistoric dragonfly was the [i]Meganeura monyi[/i] from the Permian period, with a wingspan of 27.5?29.5 inches, or 70-75 cm!

They have nearly 360 degree vision, having nearly 30,000 facets in their compound eyes.
[IMG]http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/9/9a/Dragonfly_eye_3811.jpg[/IMG][/FONT][/COLOR]

Dude, I dissected crickets today for Zoology lab. I felt bad though, since they were still alive, so I had them executed.

My favorite insect though is grasshoppers. Honestly, I kill them all the time, they scare me sometimes, and there's thousands of them in Iowa (where I am, FYI), but I love their structure. The whole thing with the legs and then the wings is just brilliant. [URL=http://www.diamondcomics.com/toychest/toys/99_11/SEP995092.jpg]I HAVE A PICTURE![/URL]

[SIZE=1]Sakura's third spider installment for Derald. Heck YES =D

Mexican Red Knee Turantula

[IMG]http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v150/unmei_shinpai/MexicanRedKnee_02.jpg[/IMG]

The Mexican Redknee (Brachypelma smithi) is a member of the Theraphosidae (Bird-eating spiders) and has been collected since the 1970's and 1980's. It was originally discovered by a collector named H.H. Smith in 1888, and was one of the first spider species to enter the pet trade.

Range: Pacific Coastal regions of Mexico.

Habitat: Enjoy living in and around natural debris, such as cacti, bushes, logs, and rock piles. Found in deserts and scrublands

Diet: Mostly insects, however, adults may eat young mice or small lizards.

Reproductive Behavior: Male tarantulas initiate courtship first by spinning a web and depositing small drops of sperm on the surface. Then he finds the female and quiets her with caresses. Using a mating structure (arm-like appendages called pedipalps) located near the mouth, he breeds with the female. Immediately afterwards he leaves quickly to avoid the possibility of being eaten. After a period of time the female's abdomen will begin to swell with eggs. She then releases them into a cocoon where they develop into juvenile tarantualas.

Special Features: Because of its gentle nature, huge body size and beautiful coloration, the Mexican redknee tarantula has been used in many films such as "Raiders of the Lost Ark" and a few James Bond films. All tarantulas have venom but this venom usually does not harm humans. However, some people may have an allergic reaction so it is best to leave them alone.

These are the most common pets, as far as tarantulas go.

I wish my brother wasn't terrified of all things with more than four legs, or my step-dad might've let me get one of these suckers. That would be awesome.[/SIZE]

I love insects n' stuffs ^^
Especially spiders.

[COLOR=Purple][FONT=Garamond]I can't believe that most of the bugs/arachnids in this thread are so creepy! Spiders freak the heck out of me. Now here's a bug worthy of mention!

[IMG]http://www.ecology.info/images/wide-monarch.jpg[/IMG]

[CENTER]Class: [I]Insecta[/I] (insects)
Order: [I]Lepidoptera[/I] (butterflies)
Family: [I]Danaidae[/I] (Milkweed butterfly family)
Genus: [I]Danaus[/I]
Species: [I]plexippus[/I] [/CENTER]


When I was in elementary school, we used to keep Monarch cocoons in a little aquarium until they hatched, and after a few days, we would set them free during class. It was so cool, we would study the life cycle of these regal little bugs (metamorphosis) and how they migrate to Florida/Texas/Mexico during the winter.

The larvae only eat milkweed, and the females lay their eggs on the underside of the milkweed leaves, and they hatch in about three to twelve days, depending upon the temperature. They'll feed for a couple weeks before attaching themselves to a twig and go into their chrysalis phase.

[IMG]http://www.kidzone.ws/animals/monarch_pupa.jpg[/IMG]

The cocoon becomes transparent as the butterfly inside develops, and after another couple weeks it emerges with an abdomen swollen with fluid to fill its wings. It'll rest for a few hours before its wings harden and dry, and it will then rest before taking off to populate the world with more poisonous little beauties. Yeah, eating milkweed as larvae makes them deadly to predators, hence why they are brightly colored and not camoflauged.

They are so beautiful, truly one of my favorites. ^.^[/FONT][/COLOR]

[color=darkviolet][font=lucida calligraphy] Ah! Kill it kill it!

Sorry, I couldn't resist.

I don't like anthropods or arachnos in the least, but still there is something intriguing about an animal called a Black Widow


Genus: Latrodectus
Phylum: Arthropoda
Sub Phylum: Chelicerata
Class: Arachnida
Order: Araneae
Sub Order: Labidognatha
Family: Therididae
Species: 6

Curious Facts

Black Widow is considered the most venomous spider in North America.

The venom of the black widow spider is 15 times as toxic as the venom of the prairie rattlesnake.

Black Widow spiders are not usually deadly, especially to adults, because they inject only a small amount of venom.

Only the female Black Widow is venomous; males and juveniles are harmless..

The female Black Widow hangs belly upward and rarely leaves the web.

The Black Widow is also called the "hourglass" or "shoe-button" spider.

Araneae is the Latin word for spider.

More than 35,000 spider species of spiders occur in the world. Of these, about 3,400 species in 64 families are found in North America.


Vital Stats

Weight: 1 gram.

Length: 1-1.5"

Span: 1-3"

Sexual Maturity: 70-90 days.

Mating Season: Spring

Incubation: 14-30 days

No. of Eggs: 250-700/sac

Birth Interval: 4 to 9 egg sacs/summer

Lifespan: up to 3 years

Typical diet: insects

You just have to love something that kills after it mates

Blessed be
Chibi Horsewoman[/color][/font]

[QUOTE=Derald][FONT=Lucida Console][SIZE=1][COLOR=DarkRed]
The periodical cicada is quite interesting as it spends a great majority of its life (13 or 17 years) as a juvenile nymph living underground, feeding upon the roots of trees. After this, the nymph finally emerges from the ground and works its way up onto a tree, where it will harden its outer shell and grow into an adult within, breaking out when the transition is complete. The cicada will now have a few weeks to live in which it must find a mate, lay its eggs, and start the cycle over.[/COLOR][/SIZE][/FONT][/QUOTE]
[size=1]I'm very sorry, Derald, that I cannot contribute meaningful information to your thread. I just wanted to pop by and comment.

By reading your post, I finally know what those shells where that freaked me out when I was little. I used to play on my grandparent's private playground thing in their backyard, and on the tops of the monkey bars, there were those curious shells... and I thought that the cicada was just being still, waiting for my fingers to reach up there so it could bite 'em.

I learned a few years later, after mustering the courage to touch one, that it's just hollow. So thanks for telling me those were cicada shells.[/size]

[color=DarkGreen][font=Trebuchet MS]So ... many ... spiders ...

I might leave modding of this thread to Stu and Panda in future.

Personally I'm quite a fan of the Pond Skater.

[img]http://www.hitchams.suffolk.sch.uk/habitats/images/pondskater.jpg[/img]

I'm afraid I don't know the genus or anything ... I just find it fascinating that something can have evolved to take advantage of surface tension the way these do. That and the Jesus Lizard - any animal that walks on water is good in my book.
[/font][/color]

[SIZE=1]
[QUOTE=sakurasuka][SIZE=1]I really really don't like those Hercules Beetles... They kinda freak me out, sorry Derald =(

I do, though, like all types of Orb Weaver Spiders. My favorite being the most common of them, the Argiope.
[/SIZE][/QUOTE]

I ran into one of those, once. While I was lost in a field on safari. Scariest moment of my life? Yes. I looked down to see one of those on my arm and made my friend hit it with a stick...while screaming hysterically. I don't like spiders very much. =/

I do however like snails.

[IMG]http://www.graficimages.com/snail.JPG[/IMG]
=D

Why? Simply because they're adorable. I used to keep pet snails when I was younger and I had a little 'snail circus' in an old wooden drawer out in my back garden. One of the snails was called Speedy, how cute and cliché is that? Haha.

I don't know anything about snails, really, but someone once told me that certain snails eat each other. Dunno if that true, but when I tried to start my snail village in a cupboard, I opened the doors to find empty shells. Probably due to the lack of oxygen and heat. I thought I was being kind.

(It was that big one, he ate them!) ;_;[/SIZE]

[quote name='Derald][FONT=Lucida Console][SIZE=1][COLOR=DarkRed]You know what else is interesting about the mantis? In some species the male has become completely non-existent, and the females reproduce by laying unfertilized eggs which, surprisingly, hatch into more females. This process is known as parthenogenesis.[/COLOR][/SIZE'][/FONT][/quote]

[SIZE=1]That is genuinely creepy.

But now it's time for the spider we've all been waiting for, the one that sends chills down all of our spines, the one we've all heard of-- The Black Widow.

[IMG]http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v150/unmei_shinpai/black_widow_spider_picture.jpg[/IMG]

Black Widow Spider
Araneae: Theridiidae, Latrodectus mactans

We all know that the black widow is black and has that tell-tale red hourglass. The females grow to be about 1 1/2 inches (38mm) long, 1/4 inch (6.4mm) in diameter. The males are similar in size, but have lighter colors and generally have streaks on thier underside rather than an hourglass. The bite of a Black Widow spider can be deadly, of course, so seek immediate help if bitten.

INTERESTING FACTS: The female eats the male after mating. She hangs belly upward and rarely leaves the web.[/SIZE]

[font=tahoma]I myself hate spiders, centipedes (however that's spelt), and maggots. But, for as much as I hate spiders, you have to respect them, and what they [b]can[/b] do. I'm choosing the "brown recluse/fiddle back". This is one spider you do not want to mess around with. The reasons are in plain black and white on the website that I'll link into the scientific name. But I'll just give you an overview of this disgusting creature.

[url=http://ohioline.osu.edu/hyg-fact/2000/2061.html][i][b]Loxosceles reclusa[/b][/i][/url]

Now, I'm not going to plagiarize OSU's website; so if you'd like more details, read up on it. The information given in that site could very well save your limbs, or your life, if you ever get bit by this spider. Anyhow, this spider gets its nickname [fiddle back] from the violin/fiddle coloring on its back. The spider is brown, and normally doesn't get any bigger than a silver dollar--but that's not always what you'll find. You may see small, darker ones, or large lighter ones. These spiders are the most feared mainly because they are extremely fast, they like to "play dead", and their venom is wickedly strong. A single bite can kill you, if gone untreated. Also, a bite will rot the flesh and muscle around it. I've met people who've gotten bit and they showed me the marks--only, the marks aren't scars; they're craters, holes, in the person's arm/leg/buttock/face. It's scary what this spider can do to you.

I remember in the third grade, I was crawling under a house to get to a dog and her puppies. The next day, I was running a very high fever, and my arm was aching so badly, it made me sick. When my teacher lifted my sleeve, she gasped at the swelling. My right arm was scarlett red and burning. So, I was rushed to the emergency room where the doctor diagnosed that I didn't get bit, but the spider could've ran across my arm after feeding and the venom might've just dripped on my arm. If just a surface exposure did that, imagine what a full-fledged bite could do.

I used to live in Oklahoma, so the fiddle back was the most common spider. If states had a state spider, the brown recluse would be that. My dad and I were cleaning out our shed, and we pulled off a six foot by four foot sheet of wood from the wall, and the [b]entire[/b] area where the plywood was moved with brown recluses. God it was so disgusting. He and I ran so fast, it was unbelievable.

These spiders are incredibly fast, and [b]highly[/b] aggressive. If you recognize one, do not try to catch it. Kill it as soon as possible, and with the bottom of your shoe or some solid object. DO NOT kill it with the bottom of your bare foot, or with your hand. And when you kill it, make sure you squish it good. If you smack it, do it repeatedly. They do play dead, and when you think it's dead and lean over to check it out..be very careful, they jump and run after you.

Nasty little buggers. I hate spiders, but this one really scares the piss out of me. Mean, fast, tricky, and very dangerous. I cannot stress how bad they are. Stay away from them.

[i]*If you would like to see the damage of these spiders venom, google "brown recluse". Only do so if you have a strong stomach. [/i][/font]

[SIZE=1]I really really don't like those Hercules Beetles... They kinda freak me out, sorry Derald =(

I do, though, like all types of Orb Weaver Spiders. My favorite being the most common of them, the Argiope.

Black and Yellow Argiope-

[IMG]http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v150/unmei_shinpai/argiope.jpg[/IMG]

These orb weavers can be almost 3 inches long from leg tip to leg tip. Although they are large and intimidating, their bite is only dangerous to people who experience severe allergic reactions to insect and spider bites.

Argiope spiders are also called "writing spiders" because of the bold zigzag pattern that they build into their web.

We have three of these spiders in our backyard right now, I'm really amazed by how they build thier webs! The structure is facinating! They weave the zigzag pattern that matches the patterns on thier back. They do this so that when they see a predator, they can simply sway thier web back and forth to make themselves look much bigger and intimidating. Similar to a herd of Zebras, actually.

Edit-
[QUOTE=Goddess][font=tahoma]
[i]*If you would like to see the damage of these spiders venom, google "brown recluse". Only do so if you have a strong stomach. [/i][/font][/QUOTE]

[SIZE=1]Wow... Just... Wow... That was some of the most gruesome stuff ever...[/SIZE]
[/SIZE]

[color=#4B0082]Probably my favorite insect is the praying mantis, or [i]Mantis religiosa[/i] (Order Mantodea, Family Mantidea). I find them around here occasionally, and I like catching and keeping them as pets. Usually it's not hard to find food for them; moths, beetles, and other easily catchable insects abound in the spring, summer, and fall. Watching them catch and devour their prey alive is lots of fun.

For some general info, these mantids grow to about 2, 2 1/2 inches long, and have wings covering their abdomen, which they can use for short flights. Males are usually a tan color, and females are green like the one in the picture. Another interesting thing about mantids is that, after mating, the females eat the males. They're like the ultimate dominatrixes.[/color]