That the female rips off the head of the male after they are done mating?
2007-02-27 05:16:09 · 9 answers · asked by The J 2 in Pets ➔ Other - Pets
Not really.
The two manti fight for a minute. The male, being smaller, loses and the female begins to munch on his head. Male manti have the unique advantage of having more than one neural center in their body (around the thorax) so as soon as the female destroys the main center (the brain), the second one kicks in. The 2nd center's job is to mate. As the female continues to eat his head the thorax automatically starts poking and prodding around until he finds his place and unloads his boys.
In short, male manti are eaten while having sex
2007-02-27 05:54:54 · answer #1 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
Yes, Mating Process
The mating process for a mantis normally begins during the warm summer season, the male homing in on pheromones released by a sexually mature female. During this process, the smaller male mantis will mount the female mantis from behind and begin copulation. The female praying mantis is known for her habit of biting the head off her partner while they are mating; this behavior is not as common as the reputation might suggest (and contrary to popular belief, this act has no influence on the reproductive process, save for terminating the male's ability to pass his genes on to any other females). Sexual cannibalism may be rarer in the wild than in captive mantids kept in a cage, due to the lack of room for the male to evade the female after mating ends.
2007-02-27 13:23:25 · answer #2 · answered by b c 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Well, yes and no. The newest speculation about this occasional activity is that the female actually doesn't realize he is a male. It is very tricky business for a male to sneak up on a female and literally pounce on her. He has to be quick and dodge her raptorial forelegs. Another speculation is that if the male isn't "doing" it right, she might begin to consume his head, when this happens the males abdomen goes into convulsions, this happens to be wonderful for sperm transfer. One last idea is that the head is very nutrient rich and it makes sense that the female would need as much food as she can get.
All of these ideas are probably somewhat accurate, and may work interchangeably
2007-02-27 13:25:05 · answer #3 · answered by wishi_was_inhawaii 1 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Yes,and lightning bugs do the same thing.
Its the same with human females sometimes,
my second wife was all praying mantis.
2007-02-27 13:46:57 · answer #4 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
"Paying mantis"? You mean the ones you give money in exchange for sex? Yes, they take your money AND bite off your head. But they bite off the head while in the act of mating, not after.
2007-02-27 13:21:11 · answer #5 · answered by marklemoore 6 · 2⤊ 2⤋
yes and that makes me happy to be a male human!
2007-02-27 13:19:43 · answer #6 · answered by Jim G 7 · 0⤊ 1⤋
Yep, I've had 'em. Its very fun to watch. Especially when they eat bees.
Very cool.
2007-02-27 15:55:50 · answer #7 · answered by LivingInnuendo~♫ 3 · 0⤊ 1⤋
yes it IS true
2007-02-27 13:23:40 · answer #8 · answered by Brandie 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Yes! Isn't that great?!
2007-02-27 13:23:39 · answer #9 · answered by Winette 5 · 0⤊ 1⤋