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National Geographic : 1950 May
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"What's Up?" Head Turned, Goggle Eyes Question the Intruder Unlike most insects, mantis can Turn its head like a man, but in a wider arc. The neck is very short, Sandwiched between the head and the long, tubelike prothorax to which the forelimbs are hinged. Hundreds of small "eyes," each producing a tiny part of the whole picture, make up the two large eyes. Evidently blurred except at one cen tral point, since insect eyes cannot change focus like man's. With its head-turning advantage, mantis can quickly scan more than 300 degrees of its limited horizon for prey. Insects wear their skeletons on the outside. Those of mantids cover their forelegs and the forward parts of the body. Half a dozen times in their short lives they outgrow them and molt. For a short time, until the new covering hardens, they are vul nerable to attack. Mutual Curiosity Marks a Shoulder-level Tete-i-Tete Fascinated, the photogra pher's two-year-old daughter watches the climbing insect without hint of fear. Plucked from a shrub or flower, mantids will grab thumb or finger with spiny forelegs. But in contrast to their attitude toward insects, including mem bers of their own family, they show only curiosity and friend liness to humans. As pets they flourish when properly cared for, and often become quite tame. Allowed to roam the house, they explore endlessly. In spite of well-developed wings they are poor flyers, depending more on their matchstick legs to get around. Rearing up in unexpected places, they often startle guests. If raised from birth, newly born mantids must soon be separated. Otherwise, in a short time only one fat and saucy cannibal remains. John G. Pitkin
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