Kung Fu Mantis Vs Jumping Spider | Life Story | BBC

Mantids will eat anything that moves... including other mantids. Time to leave. This tiny insect is now open to attack from predators, lurking in the undergrowth. Whether an individual mantis survives or not is partly a matter of chance... whether it's spotted by a predator... whether it turns right... or left... So far, its luck has held. But this hungry jumping spider is still in pursuit. A mantis is born with exceptional eyesight. But the spider's is even better. Although this young mantis can't yet fly, its long forelegs, evolved to catch prey, give it reach. There seems to be no escape. But this mantis has a surprising line in self-defence. Kung fu, praying mantis style. Of course, it's all bluff... trying to look bigger and confuse its enemy. But it's got away with it. Just staying alive for its first few hours is a significant accomplishment for a newly-hatched insect. But there's still a long way to go. With a bit of luck, in two months' time, it will be as big and beautiful as this orchid mantid. Or maybe not. After all, mantids are cannibals.

Channel: undefined

Views: 25,186,376

Rating: 4.8826022 out of 5

Keywords: BBC, BBC Worldwide, Nature, Natural History, Animals, Wildlife, Wild, Life Story, David Attenborough (TV Program Creator), British Broadcasting Corporation (Production Company), Jumping Spider (Organism Classification), Mantis, Survive, Danger, Predator, Prey, Eat, Alive, Cannibalism (Cause Of Death), Cannibal, Insect, Tiny, Small, Huge, Jumping, Spider, Eyesight, Chase, Attack, Defense, Self, Legs, Scary, Leaf, Young, Adult, Fight, Confrontation, Kill, Death, Hunting

Id: 7wKu13wmHog

Length: 4min 8sec (248 seconds)

Published: Thu Aug 13 2015

Reddit Comments

[u/nzeit]

What's amazing to me is how they get the footage and combine it with the narration. The BBC has produced some seriously mindblowing pieces.

[u/tacomcnacho]

I used to drive a giant blueberry harvester. Every day it would be covered in Praying Mantises and Jumping Spiders from the blueberry bushes we'd go over. I actually crushed a blueberry bush one day because I was too focused on the epic battles these two species would have (never did that again). Typically it came down to size. The bigger jumping spiders would always kill the smaller, male mantises and the larger, female mantises would always kill the smaller jumping spiders. But when two of the same size fought, it was amazing to watch. I would try and announce the progress of the fights Joe Rogan style to my friend who operated the blueberry conveyor on the machine and we would place bets with blueberries. Always go for the Jumpy.

[u/FightMeImIrish]

That end was absolutely soul crushing.

Unfair to mantis

[u/MartelFirst]

Being born in the food chain of insects, or sea creatures, is probably the most stressful life ever. Worst foodchains imaginable. I'd rather be an antelope on the run from lions once in a while, than having to continually expect to be chopped up by some monstrous insect who could pop up from every corner, and to add insult to injury my insect predator would dance around weirdly before jumping on me.

Be thankful people. Be thankful.

[u/Starf4rged]

I find it hilarious the the praying mantis style posture is most often used with the original purpose in mind.
It's a posture to make yourself seem bigger, a primitive but effective bluff even for humans.

[u/Caelum2]

I've never been so emotionally invested in a mantis before.

[u/tommyjohnson32]

ELI5 How are these videos filmed? Where do they find these creatures doing things like this?

[u/T3CAT3]

Check out /r/bugwars for more

[u/ImRealGrass]

:(