has any one been hit by a mantis
- Thread starter acrodave
- Start date
Guygettnby
Well-known member
yep, ben smacked alot...my peacock is a very tricky mantis. it licks to smack you when your moving away.
doesnt feel to good.
doesnt feel to good.
block head
New member
yep, previous owner, had a change of heart about mantis after been thumped. = free mantis for me
TrappedMetal
New member
but has anyone been speared?
lol, i know Dr. Roy has been speared good... i think he posted a pic a while back. lots of blood.
Ive been whacked plenty by my G. smithii and O. scyllarus while I rearrange rocks or coral. nothing painful though... I think they were just warning whacks and not full power attacks. hopefully i never have to experience the latter.
Ive been whacked plenty by my G. smithii and O. scyllarus while I rearrange rocks or coral. nothing painful though... I think they were just warning whacks and not full power attacks. hopefully i never have to experience the latter.
skullturkey
New member
I've received a good whack from an almost-4inch G. ternatensis. He was preparing to moult and I stuck my hand in the tank without someone to spot for me :\
Hit the back of my middle finger, middle knuckle. He didn't break the skin or bone or anything, thank God, just freaked me the hell out.
Serves me right I guess
Hit the back of my middle finger, middle knuckle. He didn't break the skin or bone or anything, thank God, just freaked me the hell out.
Serves me right I guess
GraviT
Member
I had a 5" G. ternatensis that whacked my index finger pretty good the day after moving. I had always fed her by putting krill on the end of a skewer, but couldn't find one since everything was still in boxes. I tried dropping the food in her burrow, only to have her throw it back out. So, I thought I would lower it closer and drop it in only to have her sneak up from behind the rocks and WHAACK. Left a bruise on the tip of my finger that lasted at least 3 weeks...owie!
kdblove_99
New member
Sounds painful. That finger looks painful
englishgramma
New member
I've been speared - dropping food in - it shot to the top of the tank and Jack the Ripper'd me.
It cleared the water by about 2 inches - frightening speed - I couldn't get out the way and I'm a third dan black belt ( I thought I was quick !!).
We have a 4" Pseudosquilla Ciliata.
Regards
Richard
p.s. loads of blood
It cleared the water by about 2 inches - frightening speed - I couldn't get out the way and I'm a third dan black belt ( I thought I was quick !!).
We have a 4" Pseudosquilla Ciliata.
Regards
Richard
p.s. loads of blood
Gonodactylus
Premium Member
Too many times to count. A couple of O. s stabs to the bone and one particularly nasty stab into the joint of my index finger. The finger was stiff for months. However, the worst injury I have ever had from a stomatopod was by a 32 cm Lysiosquillina maculata that sliced my finger open along a 2 inch gash - not with the dactyl, but the uropod spine. It took about a dozen stitches to close it - without anesthetic and my dive buddy had to do the honors since we were on an island off the coast of North Queensland with no medical help available for days.
Seriously, be careful out there. Stomatopod wounds can easily become infected, so clean them out thoroughly with antiseptic. There have already been a couple of amputations due to infected stomatopod wounds.
Roy
Seriously, be careful out there. Stomatopod wounds can easily become infected, so clean them out thoroughly with antiseptic. There have already been a couple of amputations due to infected stomatopod wounds.
Roy
Gonodactylus
Premium Member
All smashers can spear with the pointed dactyl and given that the tip is barbed, they can cause quite a bit of bleeding. I think the smallest gonodactylid I've had draw blood was about 15 mm. Personally, I don't worry about them until they are around 35 mm. Different species hare harder to handle than other. A few of my least favorite species to id because they stab rather than smash are G. smithii, N. curacaoensis and N. austrinus.
During the 80's, I maintained a lab in Panama monitoring Neogonodactylus populations. We collected and identified close to 500 stomatopods a week for 8 years. I sent graduate students and undergrads down to Panama to conduct the sampling. All data were entered into waterproof notebooks. I now have about 30 of them on my self. When people ask me about being injured by stomatopods, I get up and randomly take one of the data books down and quickly leaf through the pages. Every so often, I will come across a series of pages with brown stains - the blood of newly arrived students doing their first few weeks of ID-ing.
Roy
During the 80's, I maintained a lab in Panama monitoring Neogonodactylus populations. We collected and identified close to 500 stomatopods a week for 8 years. I sent graduate students and undergrads down to Panama to conduct the sampling. All data were entered into waterproof notebooks. I now have about 30 of them on my self. When people ask me about being injured by stomatopods, I get up and randomly take one of the data books down and quickly leaf through the pages. Every so often, I will come across a series of pages with brown stains - the blood of newly arrived students doing their first few weeks of ID-ing.
Roy
Gangsta Nemo
New member
Dr.Roy
I was wondering about the risk of micobacteria from such a wound. I know this is prominent in seahorses but what are the risks in the field ? I am just curious if this is more predominant in aquaria or field research? It may be to open of a question but just wondering if you have ever seen this type of infection from stomatopod wounds or if they could even carry it.
I was wondering about the risk of micobacteria from such a wound. I know this is prominent in seahorses but what are the risks in the field ? I am just curious if this is more predominant in aquaria or field research? It may be to open of a question but just wondering if you have ever seen this type of infection from stomatopod wounds or if they could even carry it.
Gonodactylus
Premium Member
The risks of bacterial infection are real. I gave details of a case some where on this site about a surgeon who lost part of his hand to a bacterial infection in wound suffered when he tried to pick up an O. scyllarus. It is not clear whether the bacteria is associated with the stomatopod or the environment, but it did not respond to any known antibiotic and in the end amputation was the only option,
I have had a couple of infected stab wounds that fortunately did respond to antibiotics, but I now have a healthy respect for bacterial infections caused by stomatopods. Bottom line, don't give them the chance to break the skin and you will be a lot happier.
Roy
I have had a couple of infected stab wounds that fortunately did respond to antibiotics, but I now have a healthy respect for bacterial infections caused by stomatopods. Bottom line, don't give them the chance to break the skin and you will be a lot happier.
Roy
Gangsta Nemo
New member
Thank you for the info Dr Roy ...We should all have a healthy respect for the animals we keep. I have seen a few severe cases of infection and it denotes a healthy degree of respect for any and all the creatures we procure and keep for the hobby. What we see is not always the only life we keep. Besides taking a higher degree of respect is there anything you would recommend in taking precaution from such ailments?
