New Pieces
Two new pieces from the mantises that recently died. The disc is now seal in it's own case. I shoot them before putting them because it's easier and looks better. The second one was made in its case. The shatter effect was purposeful. I noticed that the fumes from the resin causes acrylic to shatter in appearance but still hold it's from. Looks incredible.
Captive vs Wild caught mantis size
Here's a quick little size comparison between captive female and wild caught female Chinese Mantis. The captive raised from hatch and the wild caught was found here in Omaha NE. The wild caught is about 25% bigger than the captive. This is known thing in the mantis community. Similarly fertility is also markedly higher in wild caught specimens. The assumption is that is has to do with nutrition, particularly the lack of pollinators as a food source. You can actually buy pollen to coat or gut load your feeders with. Supposedly it increases size and fertility but I haven't messed with it enough to have an opinion.
