Praying mantis wins
(Not too graphic, unless you’re squicked out by the thought of bird-eating insects. You can see a little blood on the bird.)
Wow, I had no idea mantids could/would catch and eat birds…you learn something new everyday…
Once my husband and I watched a praying mantis catch, kill, and eat a bumblebee. We were amazed.
Yikes. Maybe we should start calling them preying mantises. Go mantis go!
Wow, amazing, I would not have thought mantids could snag a hummer. I admire them both, so have no qualms. Very amazing photos.
There’s a whole sub-genre of the scientific literature that consists of “X eats a hummingbird,” with X being spiders, praying mantises, frogs, trout, or whatever. I;ve even seen one about a hummer being done in by being caught in a thistle.
Alright, what about:
Batman vs. Hummingbird?
Ditka vs. Hummingbird?
Woah! The wife brought a branch over to our patio table las weekend with a Mantis on it. I was happily sitting there drinking a beer looking at it. What struck me was it’s awareness of it’s surroundings. I went in for the camera (I’ll post pics) and by the time I came out, it was latched onto the beerglass.
I can see why they’re kept as pets. (here’s the pics: http://www.millertwinracing.com/mantis )
Dikka!
Eurgh. Those things totally creep me out; I had no idea they could catch birds! I would have thought the hummingbird’s momentum would knock the bug off its branch.
I watched a mantis stalk, kill, and eat a wasp about 2 feet from its nest. I think it eventually preyed on the entire wasp nest.
Pfft. The hummingbird wasn’t prepared.
Oh man! There is nothing scarier than a drunken, hungry mantis! Run away!
Please don’t let this be a hijack, but I have to report that I heard what a guy presented as true story. I’m almost positive it was a joke. But anyway the story went that this guy was forever catching this same big fish (let’s say it was bass, although I forget the variety) and throwing it back. It kept getting bigger over the months he kept catching it and throwing it back, and he was using all sorts of lures and live bait to catch it. It’s almost like they got to be friends. Anyway, the guy takes a buddy out fishing with him and they go into this cove where the water is clear enough they can see this fish under the water near an old tree that’s partially submerged. The guy who’s along for the trip asks the old-timer why the fish is lurking there so still, The old-timer points to a squirrel on the branch nearest the water and says, “that’s why.”
Sorry - I don’t get it.
I always thought praying mantises were cool. I never thought they were fast enough to snag a hummingbird, though! Thanks for the link, Archergal.
I’m sorry. The fish was about to snag the squirrel. That’s why I thought this might fit in with the OP’s unusual capture of a big critter by a smaller one. My bad.
Oh! I’m just slow this morning, I guess…
I had no idea that a Praying Mantis preyed on Hummingbirds. As much as I like hummingbirds ( I feed them every year ), those were some quite interesting pictures. I better keep my eye out for mantises (sp?) hanging around my feeder. :eek:
There’s a Starship Troopers brain bug joke in here someplace, but damned if I can find it.