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New face around here

Allthingsterrarium

Juvenile Dragon
3 Year Member
Messages
246
Hey guys! I went to a local reptile expo today and was hoping to find one of two special lizards I've been looking for for quite some time and while I couldn't find either of them the diversity of reptiles, amphibians and invertebrates was fantastic to see and I was fortunate enough to find yet another creature I've been looking for and thinking about getting for probably about a year now. I'd like you guys to meet my new hierodula membranacea or giant Asian mantis! She's probably just under 2 inches now but could potentially grow to over 5 inches and really beef up in the process. I'm assuming she's female because according to the care sheet they gave me females have short wings that stop just before the abdomen while males have long wings that extend beyond the abdomen. She's still young though so I assume it's hard to tell at this point. I'll get better pictures sooner or later as sometimes apparently they can change color if they want and can range from green to yellow to brownish. I've done research on keeping mantids before but I have a lot to learn still as we go along and I'll have plenty of time to do that as this is a long lived species and can sometimes make it to 16 months! Tomorrow I'll put a twig, some leaves and maybe a few other decorations in there for her. There's a few tiny red runner roach nymphs in there right now that they gave her but as she just molted (I found the molt stuck to the lid next to her) and doesn't seem hungry I'll wait a few days before actually giving her anything to eat personally as I know that tarantulas at least have to wait awhile after they molt. There's also wet paper towel in the bottom that she can get water from but I'm thinking about giving her some water gel cubes like crickets get. One thing she still lacks, though, is a name and it's been tricky trying to think one up.
 

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PatsyB

Super Moderator
Staff member
1,000+ Post Club
Beardie Club
Messages
9,390
Location
Chicago
SOOO COOL! I have never seen one of these in person but ever since we got our cham, I've been fascinated with them. Please keep posting pictures on her growth!
 

Allthingsterrarium

Juvenile Dragon
3 Year Member
Messages
246
Hi there guys. I ended up naming the mantis Shandong Lee or just Lee for short because for one thing a Chinese name is fitting since it's a Giant Asian mantis and also Lee is the last name of several famous martial arts fighters which the movement of a mantis reminds me of. He turned out to be a male. Unfortunately he passed away a couple weeks ago. That's the drawback of mantises, as cool as they are they don't live long and he was already well on his way to maturity when I got him. He reached his final molt and his wings came in plus I got to see him fly a couple feet one time so that was cool. It's really great to watch them grow. I just went ahead and ordered another mantis species I was drawn to at first site called a griffin mantis or polyspilota griffini and it should arrive soon. I'll keep you guys updated. I hope to get another giant Asian mantis sometime as well, hopefully a bigger and longer lived female this time. Anyway as it's long overdue here's some pictures of Lee as he grew.
 

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