This yet another example of lowly animals possessing intelligence and illustrating they are not the mindless creatures many believe.

>>Over five consecutive days, it paid daily visits to a plant-pot water feature in that garden, where it would perch on the leaves of water lilies and water cabbage plants floating on the surface. It proceeded to reach down into the water, grabbing and eating at least two guppies every day, for a total of nine fish over the five-day period.<<

https://newatlas.com/fish-eating-praying-mantis/56455/

Instinctive behaviour doesn’t imply intelligence. Would you credit orb-weaving spiders with intelligence?

Another large typhoon heading towards the Philippines.

https://earth.nullschool.net/#current/wind/surface/level/orthographic=-226.83,24.80,793/loc=148.280,21.311

Witty Rejoinder said:

Instinctive behaviour doesn’t imply intelligence. Would you credit orb-weaving spiders with intelligence?

Yes, but not because they are orb-weaving. Because they need to possess a “theory of mind” in order to outwit their prey.

Witty Rejoinder said:

Instinctive behaviour doesn’t imply intelligence. Would you credit orb-weaving spiders with intelligence?

Do we employ new hunting techniques on an unusual prey without intelligence?

PermeateFree said:

Witty Rejoinder said:

Instinctive behaviour doesn’t imply intelligence. Would you credit orb-weaving spiders with intelligence?

Do we employ new hunting techniques on an unusual prey without intelligence?

Praying Mantis are natural predators so I am not particularly surprised that one was found to be hunting in an novel way. I’m sort of more interested that the mantis kept returning to the same water feature to hunt because this would imply complex memory formation.

PermeateFree said:

This yet another example of lowly animals possessing intelligence and illustrating they are not the mindless creatures many believe.

>>Over five consecutive days, it paid daily visits to a plant-pot water feature in that garden, where it would perch on the leaves of water lilies and water cabbage plants floating on the surface. It proceeded to reach down into the water, grabbing and eating at least two guppies every day, for a total of nine fish over the five-day period.<<

https://newatlas.com/fish-eating-praying-mantis/56455/

So let me get this straight. It ate at least two fish a day. It did this for five days. It ate nine fish.

scratches head

sibeen said:

PermeateFree said:

This yet another example of lowly animals possessing intelligence and illustrating they are not the mindless creatures many believe.

>>Over five consecutive days, it paid daily visits to a plant-pot water feature in that garden, where it would perch on the leaves of water lilies and water cabbage plants floating on the surface. It proceeded to reach down into the water, grabbing and eating at least two guppies every day, for a total of nine fish over the five-day period.<<

https://newatlas.com/fish-eating-praying-mantis/56455/

So let me get this straight. It ate at least two fish a day. It did this for five days. It ate nine fish.

scratches head

It didn’t necessarily eat fish on each day of that five-day period.

sibeen said:

PermeateFree said:

This yet another example of lowly animals possessing intelligence and illustrating they are not the mindless creatures many believe.

>>Over five consecutive days, it paid daily visits to a plant-pot water feature in that garden, where it would perch on the leaves of water lilies and water cabbage plants floating on the surface. It proceeded to reach down into the water, grabbing and eating at least two guppies every day, for a total of nine fish over the five-day period.<<

https://newatlas.com/fish-eating-praying-mantis/56455/

So let me get this straight. It ate at least two fish a day. It did this for five days. It ate nine fish.

scratches head

4.5 days, round up to 5.

Bubblecar said:

sibeen said:

PermeateFree said:

This yet another example of lowly animals possessing intelligence and illustrating they are not the mindless creatures many believe.

>>Over five consecutive days, it paid daily visits to a plant-pot water feature in that garden, where it would perch on the leaves of water lilies and water cabbage plants floating on the surface. It proceeded to reach down into the water, grabbing and eating at least two guppies every day, for a total of nine fish over the five-day period.<<

https://newatlas.com/fish-eating-praying-mantis/56455/

So let me get this straight. It ate at least two fish a day. It did this for five days. It ate nine fish.

scratches head

It didn’t necessarily eat fish on each day of that five-day period.

“and eating at least two guppies every day”

Hmmm.

sibeen said:

Bubblecar said:

sibeen said:

So let me get this straight. It ate at least two fish a day. It did this for five days. It ate nine fish.

scratches head

It didn’t necessarily eat fish on each day of that five-day period.

“and eating at least two guppies every day”

Hmmm.

They meant “every day that it ate fish”.

Anyway it is quite remarkable, especially as they never seem to get very fat.

Bubblecar said:

sibeen said:

Bubblecar said:

It didn’t necessarily eat fish on each day of that five-day period.

“and eating at least two guppies every day”

Hmmm.

They meant “every day that it ate fish”.

Anyway it is quite remarkable, especially as they never seem to get very fat.

If you only ate two guppies a day I don’t think you’d get very fat either. Now there’s a thought for your new diet.

Witty Rejoinder said:

PermeateFree said:

Witty Rejoinder said:

Instinctive behaviour doesn’t imply intelligence. Would you credit orb-weaving spiders with intelligence?

Do we employ new hunting techniques on an unusual prey without intelligence?

Praying Mantis are natural predators so I am not particularly surprised that one was found to be hunting in an novel way. I’m sort of more interested that the mantis kept returning to the same water feature to hunt because this would imply complex memory formation.

I was thinking that too. Although I haven’t seen it exactly how it does it, I would not think it was such a radically different technique. Blend in with some plant, wait for something the right size to move within range, strike at the movement. Guppy fish do sometimes tend to float very near the surface.

Witty Rejoinder said:

PermeateFree said:

Witty Rejoinder said:

Instinctive behaviour doesn’t imply intelligence. Would you credit orb-weaving spiders with intelligence?

Do we employ new hunting techniques on an unusual prey without intelligence?

Praying Mantis are natural predators so I am not particularly surprised that one was found to be hunting in an novel way. I’m sort of more interested that the mantis kept returning to the same water feature to hunt because this would imply complex memory formation.

Ah you eventually read the article. Jolly good!

party_pants said:

Witty Rejoinder said:

PermeateFree said:

Do we employ new hunting techniques on an unusual prey without intelligence?

Praying Mantis are natural predators so I am not particularly surprised that one was found to be hunting in an novel way. I’m sort of more interested that the mantis kept returning to the same water feature to hunt because this would imply complex memory formation.

I was thinking that too. Although I haven’t seen it exactly how it does it, I would not think it was such a radically different technique. Blend in with some plant, wait for something the right size to move within range, strike at the movement. Guppy fish do sometimes tend to float very near the surface.

It happened in a different environment for the mantid, with a new prey type and a different catching technique, plus it returned a number of times to the same spot and repeated the technique. Now if we did something like that we would think the person who did it was pretty smart and certainly intelligent.

PermeateFree said:

party_pants said:

Witty Rejoinder said:

Praying Mantis are natural predators so I am not particularly surprised that one was found to be hunting in an novel way. I’m sort of more interested that the mantis kept returning to the same water feature to hunt because this would imply complex memory formation.

I was thinking that too. Although I haven’t seen it exactly how it does it, I would not think it was such a radically different technique. Blend in with some plant, wait for something the right size to move within range, strike at the movement. Guppy fish do sometimes tend to float very near the surface.

It happened in a different environment for the mantid, with a new prey type and a different catching technique, plus it returned a number of times to the same spot and repeated the technique. Now if we did something like that we would think the person who did it was pretty smart and certainly intelligent.

Indeed so.

hmm, NewAtlas site won’t load for me? Might be too busy?

roughbarked said:

hmm, NewAtlas site won’t load for me? Might be too busy?

Probably too many forum members clamoring for information.

PermeateFree said:

roughbarked said:

hmm, NewAtlas site won’t load for me? Might be too busy?

Probably too many forum members clamoring for information.

It works now. :)

Anyway, Mantids see and catch prey but the real science breakthrough here is that the mantid can actually see and catch prey that is under water. No easy feat even for humans.