Mantis with a heart

[PRC]

I'm sure no one will believe this story, but I figure this is the only place anyone would appreciate it.
I get home late from work last night and make the rounds checking out my tanks. I get to the 10G mantis tank and notice a couple of snails and a hermit crab crawling around more out in the open than usual. The hermit is actually crawling on the mantis' rock! At the same time I'm thinking that hermit's flirting with disaster and I'm remembering a thread out here I read yesterday about somebody feeding their mantis ten snails a week. These guys have been in the tank together for months. Just then the hermit tips over upside down. Now I'm thinking he's definitely lunch. Just then the mantis, who's been hiding in his rock til now, pokes his head out the top and turns the hermit back over! That's right he actually turned him right side up again. Then he pushed him along the rock about a half inch and went back in his hole. Just wish I had video.
Just thought I'd share a tale of a kind hearted mantis for a change.

 

[Kaiser_s0ze]

hes waiting till he gets bigger

 

[matt the fiddler]

sooo evil lol

 

[Pescado guy]

Oh my goodness!! I can't believe that! The mantis shrimp was so kind. Good work Mantis!!

 

[Gonodactylus]

There is a reasonable explanation for what you saw. Stomatopods keep the area immediately around their entrance clear, particularly of living things. They will often pick up an object or animal that comes too close and push it away. In the process, it turned it over. I don't know why it didn't eat it, but most likely the shell is too large and/or the animal isn't hungrey.

Roy

 

[PRC]

It definitely does try to keep any organic stuff away form it's main entrance hole. If I try to feed it when it's not hungry it "throws" the food off the side of it's rock. That was pretty comical in itself the first time it did it. It also seems to collect small rocks and shells to "seal off" it's entrance from time to time. I've also noticed one of the mantis' in my main tank do this occasionally.
It was really hysterical though watching him turn the hermit right side up before pushing him along. Maybe like Kaiser says, the mantis was just saying "go home and eat your Formula One son, come back when you've fattened up"!
Anyway, thanks for the explanation Dr Roy, it's really great to have someone around to help us understand these incredible creatures. Though I still think have the world's most compassionate mantis

 

[RogueCorps]

Heheh... very funny. I was thinking the same thing as Kaiser though. It should've given him a food pellet and sent the hermit on it's way for later.

-R

 

[wetworx101]

is it a spearer or a smasher? most spearers wont bother anything with a shell...but rather push it around like you said.

 

[PRC]

It's a smasher, N. Wennerae. It's actually eaten a couple of hermits, but only when it gets really hungry. I always leave some in the tank for when I'm out of town. As long as I feed it every few days it doesn't seem to bother them though. There's also a gorilla crab in the tank with it. The mantis beat it up a little when I first put it in the tank but now he seems to leave it alone as well.

 

[maryrosi]

Mine has picked up a hermit from his den and tossed it out from the opening as well. Most of the time, if one approaches, then it's taken into the den and the broken shell fragments are what is tossed out.