r/species • u/That_Friend_4009 • 20d ago
what is this!?
seek told me it was a shiny common woodlouse but it's definitely not moving. it looks like some sort of egg sac. can anyone help me ID this?
3
u/moon_bunnee 20d ago
Mantid ootheca, guessing Carolina mantis.
2
u/Turbulent-Name-8349 20d ago
I made the mistake of bringing one inside once. It hatched and the kitchen was suddenly full of 50 or so small mantids. I'll never do that again.
1
u/moon_bunnee 20d ago
Aww, you weren't excited to be the proud new parent of 50 tiny mantids? Jk lol. I'd love to hatch one... as long as it's in an enclosure.
1
u/harmonybrook 18h ago
Oh my gosh! My grandpa gifted me one as a kid, that he found in his garden. Note, the babies freshly hatched are small enough to escape through an aquarium mesh lid. (Which Iād say was more like hundreds not 50)
My seven year old self was then horrified when my dad vaccumed my babies up, thankfully most off them survived the exciting trip to the backyard ššš
8
u/TradeChameleon 20d ago
Looks like a mantis eggsack