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Praying Mantis Eats a Hummingbird!

By Alex in Animal on May 24, 2006 at 12:14 am


Richard Walkup took this photo of a praying mantis catching and eating a hummingbird. From the website:

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.

Link (Total Blogal)


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COMMENT
  1. audubon
    May 25th, 2006 at 1:17 am

    This is upsetting....

  2. teardrops7
    Jun 24th, 2006 at 6:08 pm

    DISGUSTING!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!....I love hummingbirds!!!!!

  3. The Humungus
    Jul 31st, 2006 at 9:46 pm

    Cute animals must always prevail over ugly ones!

  4. Zerg
    Nov 2nd, 2009 at 9:26 am

    I think mantids are beautiful, as are hummingbirds. You've got to admit, that's one heck of a feat on the part of the mantis to catch a hummer! They really are some of the best hunters of the insect world.

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