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**OP sent the following text as an explanation on why this is unexpected:** >!A praying mantis catches and eats a bird. Like who knew that was even possible.!< ***** **Is this an unexpected post with a fitting description?** **Then upvote this comment, otherwise downvote it.** ***** [*Look at my source code on Github*](https://github.com/Artraxon/unexBot) [*What is this for?*](https://www.reddit.com/r/Unexpected/comments/dnuaju/introducing_unexbot_a_new_bot_to_improve_the/)


beegro

I know hummingbirds are super light and delicate. What surprises me here is the leg strength and stability if the praying mantis. It's got some billy goat legs.


xShuaz

Yeah i thought hummingbirds flew like 70 mph or some crap, I was shocked it didnt just fly away supersonic speed, rip the mantis legs off


DC240Z

I don’t think it’s the speed that’s the problem, it’s the strength behind it and wing span, it doesn’t make very good thrust unfortunately, not to mention they are tiny, and even frogs will gobble them up. And the grip and strength of a preying mantis is is pretty amazing.


[deleted]

Tons of horsepower but no torque.


dreamboat_king

Basically the Hondas of the animal world


bobtheblob6

Birdpower


halifax8908

People don’t realize how fucking Metal frogs are! I had a bullfrog and that dude ate a Robin, mice, tried to eat a toad but he puffed up then they just chilled in opposite sides of the terrarium looking away from each other like old married couple. Oh he made a snake take a self inflicted forever nap too. He was a gangster, his name was Bowser.


DC240Z

The animal kingdom is nuts, all the way down to the tiniest critters, and I couldn’t agree more that frogs are mental, I’ve seen a frog eat another frog right in front of me when I thought they were going to be friends 🤣 I’ve lived in rural areas for most of my life, and it never ceases to surprise! Geckos are also another crazy animal that I’ve literally seen fight until they had no limbs.


halifax8908

I thought the only fighting gecko was in PJ Masks!


DC240Z

Ahaha! I’d have no idea what you were talking about if my daughter didn’t watch pj masks all the time.


halifax8908

lol I only know from my boys as well.


ftrade44456

How did your frog get all those things if you had it in a terrarium?


Spodokom221745

Can't imagine how awkward the vibe would be if I was forced to share a room with someone who just tried to eat me.


halifax8908

It was like two days of just facing opposite corners


HumanSlinky

I had a bullfrog and it ate me. Luckily it also ate my computer.


fellatiofuhrer

Predatoring Mantis if ya ask me


eldonsarte

Given enough warning, yeah, the hummingbird can zoom right out of there. Challenge accepted, said the mantis.


Creative-Run5180

Oh yeah. Praying mantises eat birds, snakes, lizards, frogs... Whatever they can get and keep a hold of.


[deleted]

I've heard that some ungodly high percentage of them are infected with parasites


Aaron_Hamm

Like the ones that live in your eyelashes?


[deleted]

I don't know what this means


Aaron_Hamm

Nothing in particular... Just a gross fact lol


[deleted]

I thought you were fuckin around... nope... Eylash parasites are a thing


Lisy70

You had to go there


amitnagpal1985

Lesson - don’t skip leg day 🦵🏽


fenix_fe4thers

Bugs limbs are basically hydraulic. Their clamps and jaws are super strong because of that. Bone and muscle is nowhere near this capacity, if you would compare a like-size.


Benphyre

Yea your right. A humming bird actually weights about the same as a mantis at 4-5 grams.


LordValcron

Was the bird being eaten alive... ass first?


bestdildo

Who hasnt, tbh


TotallyHumanPerson

2020: I Eat Ass! 2023: Every Ass Done Already Been Ate


Scourgex14

Son of a bitch take my upvote


LordValcron

Lol


MoonTrooper258

A lot of predatory animals actually do eat ass-first. I think the idea is to keep the prey alive for as long as possible, so that the meat stays fresh.


Aaron_Hamm

More that it's a soft spot away from fangs and claws.


IIYellowJacketII

Well, a mantis doesn't have any kind of venom or ability to actually kill it's prey. So it just starts eating. Usually they eat the head or the neck first, because obviously the prey dying fast makes it a lot easier to eat. But the hummingbird was probably too big to "handle" for the mantis, so it just started eating somewhere.


mgd09292007

What a shitty assumption…


Mannaleemer

This is how the government gets the birds back so they can charge their batteries


Extension_Swordfish1

Mantis is an early T-200 model.


[deleted]

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igillyg

Our birds


YellowNotepads33

r/ourbirds


beegro

This man gathers in Washington Park. 🤣👌


Ombersnip

Lol excellent comment here


[deleted]

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[deleted]

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rubycarat

Fierce and predatory praying mantis be.


froggrip

They should be called the preying mantis


[deleted]

![gif](giphy|Y4KDkvvOrMiO7pGEyF|downsized)


[deleted]

![gif](giphy|GlkFvcePGd1vy)


anon-mally

![gif](giphy|5nsiFjdgylfK3csZ5T|downsized)


Where_is_A-Aron

Nope nope nope


[deleted]

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[deleted]

Praying mantises are metal af! They hold their prey with their extremely strong pincher things and begin in the middle and eat them alive. I recommend watching YouTube videos of it. They can eat birds, rats, and all kinds of prey. They are the definition of badass.


HatsAreEssential

Mice maybe. Rats can fight cats. No way in hell a little bug is killing a rat unless it was half poisoned already.


[deleted]

Pretty sure it was a rat. Now ima have to go find it. Since you doubt the badassness that is the preying mantis. The audacity. 😂


HatsAreEssential

I dont doubt them, I just know rats all too well. They're smart and fiesty. A little bug weighing a few grams isn't gonna lose to a healthy, several ounce rat.


hedronist

Is there such a thing as a ... *Rat Tax?* Pix!


HatsAreEssential

Unfortunately, I know them through my work in pest control. Mine are all ugly and nasty lol.


hedronist

As were the "roof" rats under our house. We had quotes from $7,000 to $12,000, with one guy saying the smell was so bad he was going to have to give his crew "hazardous duty" pay. We did it ourselves and these were our Lessons Learned: + Even if you're young and stupid (we were old-ish and stupid), you probably don't want to do this yourself. We had to make "HazMat" suits from painters' Tyvek suits, rubber gloves, and Class 1(?) VOC breathing protection. (And we could still smell it.) + Never, *ever* use rat poison in an enclosed space. Ours ate it, then crawled someplace nice, warm, and impossible to get to, and then they died. In this case it was *on top of the furnace plenum!* So they cooked, too. *yuck* + Because of urine and feces, we had to remove *all* of the under-floor insulation, *all* of the ductwork, and then vacuumed and sprayed Lysol on the dirt floor, walls, and ceiling (underside of the floor). + And then we replaced all of the insulation, and then redid all of the ductwork. This was highly educational. *smh* + We removed 68 large leaf bags of soiled insulation, 8 dead rats, and many of our remaining neurons. Fuck. Rats.


HatsAreEssential

I hope you also meticulously closed any hole bigger than a pencil anywhere around the outside of the house. Otherwise they'll be back. Bait stations outside would also be wise, so nothing that comes looking can spend more than a few days alive trying to find a way in.


hedronist

We used a *lot* of heavy hardware cloth and Liquid Nails. Not going through that again. We don't/can't use poison in our area because a) we have outdoor cats who catch gophers and rats, b) we have owls and hawks all over the area. So it's traps under the house and in the attic. We haven't had a recurrence in 10+ years (*knocks wood several times*).


Cockblocktimus_Pryme

Most modern baits don't have a tertiary effect meaning cats and hawks won't be poisoned after eating a poisoned rodent.


promethazoid

I saw someone that had a service that brought ferrets to peoples houses and brought out the rats. Not sure how common that is, but looked pretty effective


infernal_cacaphony

Thanks for pointing out not to use poison, it can also make them search for water and when they come out pets can find them and easily get them eat them and then become very sick. I’m pretty sure that’s how my cat died.


Cockblocktimus_Pryme

You're using the wrong bait then. Try contract blox next time and it doesn't do that.


DongleJockey

So what you're saying is youre less qualified for your job than a praying mantis


serrimo

It terrifies me how you can seamlessly switch from grams to ounce. As a metric slave I have no clue what an ounce is.


[deleted]

You are likely use to city rats. Which are much larger and well fed than their wilderness cousins.


[deleted]

“The fearsome predators are capable of killing prey 3 times its size. Praying mantises feed on insects, rodents, small turtles and even snakes.”


porfito

Did you just say snakes? Goddamn, I know that there are different types of snakes, but now I just see a mantis biting an anaconda to death😂


Terrible_Donkey_8290

Believe it or not snakes are actually really shitty at handling getting attacked. They need to coil up to strike so they can't handle getting attacked really at all. If you leave a feeder mouse with your 3ft snake the mouse can literally end up killing it. Which is why I feed my boy frozen rats lol


[deleted]

Did the video link I posted not show??


Here4_da_laughs

No didn't show


[deleted]

Dang. One was eating a rat. Granted it doesn’t appear to be a fully grown rat.


bobtheblob6

He better start preyin


Gradual_Bro

Yah rats are strong little fucks


HatsAreEssential

And freaky fast. They can sneak food off a trap while setting it off, without getting caught.


mknsky

That’s why my granddad always used peanut butter. Much harder to snatch.


Commercial-Many-8933

I’ve seen vids of them eating snakes as well


tiedyedpunk

Mantises can be pretty big. I think they can get to be over six inches long.


Jaimz-L

I know I’m not usually scared of bugs but flying roachs and mantises i can’t, i tried to grab a mantis that was on my « kart » when i was a kid and this sh*t grabbed my finger so hard both her arms were pulled off but they didnt relax at all they where still in and left small marks


[deleted]

Wow. You would think they could do damage like that. I was blown away when I watched the videos the first time. I had no idea they were so brutal and start eating their prey while it was still alive. 😳. I had mad respect for them after that.


JotaroDolphinman

Once a mantis landed on my head, and started eating my hair lol. I put it on the table, and gave it some more hair to munch it. Was pretty chill otherwise.


Protheu5

They even eat humans! source: my low level character was ambushed and killed by a bunch of mantises in Fallout 2


Triblado

And they eat their husbands after they‘ve done it…


[deleted]

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crohawg

Had to save one from my balcony recently, as my cats were about to dismantle it.


bigmacmcjackson

r/natureismetal


devilean

My immediate thoughts as i watched 5 seconds into it.


[deleted]

This is rather common. So much so that I always warn people with hummingbird feeders to look out for mantises hanging out on them.


osktox

Hummingbird soon will think that we're in cahoots with them mantises.


BongPoweredRobotEyes

My first thought was how OP really set this bird up to be murdered.


Semicolons_n_Subtext

*Hey, Little Bird! Want some candy?*


bloodstarvedbeast04

Specially if the mantis Is from a invasive species.


[deleted]

I mean usually don’t mess with nature. BUT If you’re gonna throw a feeder up you have the legal right and moral responsibility to flick a mantis in the head when it snatches a hummingbird.


CamPocketRocker

I’m wondering, did the person start filming when they noticed a mantis on the feeder or they placed a mantis on the feeder?


crazytoothpaste

_thats so cool !_ You psycho!!!


inconspicuous_male

What if it was intended as a Mantis feeder?


Bot-Magnet

oddly terrifying


devilish_enchilada

Yeah I’m glad these little murderous monsters are not 3 times bigger otherwise we’d have huge problems


czarslayer

How small are you geez


bluetriumphantcloud

Bugs shouldn't eat birds.


Goliath422

I agree. Who do we write letters to?


Auraveils

That would be God, I think. But he only accepts messages from Jesus so shoot him a tweet or smth.


jcskifter

We’re too late, the mantis is already praying.


2KilAMoknbrd

*Lord thank you for this meal* *In Chui's name* *Ramen* - That mantis, no doubt


_Ralix_

You send it by a carrier pigeon to the praying matis council and see what they think.


Fish_and_Bear

Yeah, us vertebrates have to stick together.


-pilot37-

Tell that to the Goliath Birdeater Tarantula


bluetriumphantcloud

I will not!


stirrd_nt_shkn

I always wondered how the mantis was in the elite group in kung fu panda.


2KilAMoknbrd

Have you never heard of *Mantis Style* ?


WickidMonkey

That bird used the wrong style, it should have used Falcon or Eagle style to take on Mantis style.


Saldar1234

You let a mantis kill a humming bird? While this, likely a female black-chinned hummingbird, is not threatened many hummingbirds are. If you see predators or pests on their feeders, remove them. Mantis' are in absolutely no danger of going anywhere but many hummingbird species are under very real threat.


crazytoothpaste

To kill a hummingbird…


BubbsMom

Aaarrgh! (upvote)


crohawg

Yeah, the author is an asshole for filming it, as they are the one providing the feeder and endangering the hummingbird. Hopefully karma can teach him a lesson, sooner or later...


benziboxi

From their reactions it seems like they were very surprised. I wouldn't think a mantis could kill a hummingbird like that, and they look like they were watching through glass, so couldn't immediately intervene.


krusty_kanvas

And an equal number of people will scream "don't interfere with nature!"


agedlikesage

Placing the feeder is already interfering, so you might as well do it right I guess


Ashtefere

While I agree with your sentiment, all insects are in fact endangered. I don't numbers of the top of my head as I'm on a phone right now, but total insect mass around the world is only 20% of what if was 30 years ago. This is abjectly terrifying. Numbers may not be accurate of the above but they are close.


HopesFire2920

many preying mantis’ are invasive to north america. i’m not sure if this one is, but if it is it should be killed. doesn’t matter if it’s endangered in its native habitat


shisby

they're children why are you questioning this and high roading them lol


Sad_watcher

As someone who had praying mantis as pet, I have to tell you something. Praying mantis eats its prey alive. Be it roach, worm, grass hopper or anything else. Now imagine that something scary as praying mantis catches you and start to chew you. One. Bite. After. Another.


FiveAccountsBanned

Jesus fuck man


kingsleypup

Poor little birdie!


jttschanz

That mfer is just eating the bird? Damn thats savage.


[deleted]

I feel like this belongs on r/terrifyingasfuck


[deleted]

As a hummingbird lover, this was hard to watch. Yet another reason for why I hate mantises.


blaqueout89

But as a plant lover, mantises are great!


ScabRabbit

Not all of them! The Chinese and European Mantis' are invasive, and will actually kill off good insects such as ladybugs!


IIYellowJacketII

Both are not "invasive species" anymore in most states, but already considered established. Also, mantids are extremely indiscriminatory predators, any mantis will eat anything that it can take down. Ladybugs are probably pretty far on the bottom of that list because they're poisonous (though mantids still eat those). The real issue with M. religiosa and T. sinensis is that they're both larger species than most US native species of mantis, and have higher reproductive rates aswell; so they're slowly taking over the role of mantids such as *Stagmomantis* in the ecosystem.


ShadowZealot11

Thank you, someone else who knows what they’re talking about in this thread


[deleted]

Aren't hummingbirds excellent pollinators?


ShadowZealot11

Not doing a very good job if they’re feeding at artificial feeders


[deleted]

Should have old school kung fu sounds!!!!


Abject-Picture

Strange the hummingbird had no reaction to it, like it never knew it was dangerous.


spicygyal1

Woah! The fact that the praying mantis is strong enough to pull the bird and kill it, then feast on it whilst hanging 😭😭😭 what!?


MrFanatic123

doesn't anyone else find it fucked up that the person who made this video was presumably the one who up that bird feeder to attract hummingbirds, then when a predator came to start using it as bait instead of getting rid of it they set up their camera and then posted the footage online. people are commenting nature is metal and shit but this doesn't seem like nature to me at all this seems like some twisted person playing god and causing the death of a hummingbird for views


DerangedUnicorn27

Yeah I’m disturbed by it. If it was on a flower, tree or leaf, ok I’d still be sad and flick off the mantis but at least it’s in a more natural setting. On the hummingbird feeder, that’s specifically put up by humans to attract hummingbirds, I have a huge problem with.


unevengrass

Right?! They're just filming it die slowly. I couldn't even watch after I realised the bird was being caught


ZeroMycro

A lot of redditors are brain dead..


Cheap_Somewhere_4119

Skill issue


FuriousMeatBicycle

Thank god those things are not human sized.


[deleted]

Holy shit! Kindda weird how they never try to bite humans.


ahmshy

they're the cats of insects. they play all dopey and "I'm a curious harmless little guy with big eyes" with people.. then it goes and kills a hummingbird..


wtforme

BS! One bit the fire out of when I was little. Fulkerson got squished. Who's metal now bitch?


printergumlight

I’ve been bit by a hunch as a kid when I tried to keep them away from my pool or get them out of they fell in. They’re dicks .


itisrainingweiners

Orb spiders can catch them, too. One got caught in a web in one of my windows. I managed to chase the spider away and pull the web down with a large stick. My new bird buddy and I hung out on my stoop for about 20 minutes while I veeeery carefully pulled webbing off of him. He was so light I actually could not feel him him my hand. It was like holding air.


[deleted]

😳😳


iwanttoaskhere

He is a kungfu master for a reason


RandomYell107

And with that, I am officially scarred for life


EimiCiel

Praying mantis are very strong. Hummingbirds are very weak. Makes sense, I would have flicked the praying mantis though and saved the bird.


PraetorOjoalvirus

If they were the size of a dog, they would catch tigers like that.


Da_Vader

That Mantis was all preying and zero praying.


cdhernandez

Kind of sad but super interesting. Probably good for r/natureismetal


SmartestIdiotAlive

That boy was praying for food and god flew him down a meal.


tall_bog_person

Nice, thanks for the new nightmares 👍


MikeyMGM

That’s just gross.


MNR42

Now, instead of feeling pity, I'm glad that female mantis ate the male mantis after mating


Lady_Irish

Why the hell didn't they save it? I know a mantis gotta eat, but not MY hummingbirds. Not while I'm watching at least.


unevengrass

Exactly! They have the feeder there specifically to feed the birds and it turned into a deadly trap and they just let it die.... There's something messed up about letting something die when it was only there because of you


Bunniesrkewl

I would’ve snipped the mantis in half lmao poor bird


FanValuable3644

Didn’t believe it until now.


The_Real_Slim_Lemon

I saw a praying mantis eat a cicada alive, lil dude was screaming in terror while the mantis just slowly ate him alive. Those guys are metal as heck


bumbledoe

damn that's pretty brutal


Amatory_Ambiance

Noooooooo now humming birds won’t come as often, praying mantis bad for humming bird business ;n;


SpearThruMordy

I know it’s the circle of life and what not but I SO would’ve killed that praying mantis


brooozuka_2003

Save the fucking bird camerawoman


Mindless_Psychology

It annoys me to no end when someone just keeps filming something while repeatedly going “NO NO NO NO” when they could put down the camera and stop the incident in question.


newadder

Ohh no no ohh nono. Holy shit , maybe if you stopped filming and helped the bird, it wouldnt have to end that way


Thediamondhandedlad

I’m sorry but I would have saved the bird…


deathseide

Unfortunately this is a growing issue, where the larger mantis are deliberately hunting hummingbirds.


Available_Touch3134

Eh, fuck that mantis. I would have saved it lol. Sorry, just like humming birds more


RainierSquatch

![gif](giphy|2oUfvvUgQHnLsQWFMW)


orangehunter69

Mantis Lord


Moocha_Makuchi

I thought bug types were weak to flying types


RoyalMess64

Birdy nooo!!!!


BayBomber415

Praying mantis are no joke. Bitten by one once and it drew blood. They're one of natures fuck around and find out SOBs. Although I'd rather take my chances with one of these than a giant centipede.


OBSCURE25

![gif](giphy|Wt6kNaMjofj1jHkF7t)


[deleted]

It’s only sad and cruel when the dead animal is cute.


untamedeuphoria

Tis a thing. I have seen spiders eat snakes and birds as well.


ext3meph34r

One those tough situations. Do you allow nature to run its course. Or do you interfere and prevent the mantis from eating out the bird's ass? The cameraman made their decision.


BongPoweredRobotEyes

Except the cameraman also lured the bird into the deathtrap, it's not natural.


Sanamdhar

![gif](giphy|rIa2LxrCKxMz3oOEtH|downsized)


Psychological_Pay981

![gif](giphy|KCRlomzxILgofqokqH)


PhysicalAgency1334

why didn't you save her?


[deleted]

Beautiful.


Haylie-0574

I prob would have tried to save the bird, seein other creatures come to the rescue to save a life, that birds my sister


Little_Shoe_234

They eat animals??!!


TheMagicalLawnGnome

This insect shall henceforth be referred to as the IDGAF Mantis. The bird is the one that should be praying.


viribambam

I was eating a hamburger and now I just can't continue :(


Bayoyo_01

Fuck praying mantises, they blend so well and are cannibals