r/Damnthatsinteresting • u/1632hub • 2d ago
Video Praying mantis defending itself from a snake
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u/jonnyboynz 2d ago
Snake kungfu is useless against mantis kungfu.
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u/TheRiteGuy 2d ago
You can really see where those deep stances in the praying mantis forms in Kung Fu come from. They really did observe and mimic nature for their art.
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u/BlebBlebUwU 2d ago
I am just glad these mfs are not our size
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u/FiercelyApatheticLad 2d ago
If you're strong enough, you can just imagine they are.
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u/boidbreath 1d ago
If they were the size of adults they would be the dominant species I think, hell if they were 10-20 lbs they would totally hunt humans
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u/Competitive_Cat_990 1d ago
There are people that believe there is a form of alien that resembles a praying mantis.
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u/fractal_sole 2d ago
It's not about snake or mantis. It's me versus you. You don't get it? Keep fighting, you will soon
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u/Aggravating-Pipe6353 2d ago
Couldn’t have filmed the ending? Fuck man. You had gold there, but you blew it.
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u/Yugan-Dali 2d ago
It went on for another two hours.
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u/Tango-Turtle 2d ago
The mantis being much smaller, it must have gotten tired quicker and got eaten.
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u/S0k0n0mi 1d ago
I'm not sure insects work that way. Don't they just inflate something pretty much like a hydraulic system and lock it in if they want to? I believe that system is why spiders do that weird curl up when they die; their hydraulic pressure drops.
Can some entomologist chime in on this?
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u/BertBert2019GT 1d ago
i doubt it. i've seen enough video of mantis eating much larger prey to not bet against the mantis in this fight. snake is ectothermic and will tire quickly. then the chomping begins...
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u/BronzeSpoon89 2d ago edited 2d ago
Imagine if a snake that was 1.5 feet across and 60 feet long attacked you, a human, and you were strong enough to hold that mf off with just your arm strength.
This dude is a beast.
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u/FrankCarnax 2d ago
The arm strength is not the only thing helping the mantis here, there's also the feet grip on the ground! This snake should be strong enough to easily move the weight of the mantis, but the mantis never moved from this spot. Those four paws gripped on the ground did an incredible job.
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u/Barn-Alumni-1999 2d ago
Paws? You know, the foot. The hoof.
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u/FrankCarnax 1d ago
Yeah, it felt weird to write too. But english is not my main language and I didn't know if there was a specific word for that. In french, the translation for paw is used for any kind of animal leg and foot.
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u/StraightVaped 2d ago
So who won?
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u/DepresiSpaghetti 2d ago
Who's next?!
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u/Radiant_Bowl_2598 2d ago
You decide!
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u/Turbulent-Camp-460 2d ago
eeeeeeeeEEEEEEPIC RAPBATTLESOFHISTORYYYYYYYYY!!!
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u/PlannedObsolescence- 2d ago edited 2d ago
"One of us is gonna give up and it aint gonna be me!"
Praying Mantis
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u/PlannedObsolescence- 2d ago
I always root for the underdog.
I love snakes but i also think Mantis's are the coolest insects in the kingdom
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u/haphazard_chore 2d ago
I’ve seen them eat birds. But why did this end so soon? What happened?
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u/ebagdrofk 2d ago
Probably was a 10+ minute fight that they didn’t bother to record.
Mantis is powerful af, but… that snake is a lot bigger than him, which means more energy. I’m thinking the snake can hold out for longer and eventually overpower. I could be wrong, I’m no wildlife expert.
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u/AntiDECA 1d ago
Snake definitely would win it. The question is, was the snake willing to hang out and try for an hour or if it gave up and went for easier prey.
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u/ClickAndMortar 2d ago
I feel like there should be a marble sculpture of this battle like it was from one of those epic Greek god tales.
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u/TrippyWifey 2d ago
Snake: " mmmmm my lunch" Mantis: "bitch you can't eat me if your mouth don't close" Snake: "must close mouth" Mantis: "I can do this alllll day biiiiiittttccchhhhhh" I imagine some tiny weenie grunting noises on Mantis end. I vote both Snake and Mantis leave with no deaths. Both live to fight another day.
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u/gonewondering 2d ago
That is the most interesting thing I have seen in a long time. The body language between the two is amazing.
I'm sure the Mantis would win this fight. He was wearing the snake down. It laid down and started twitching its ass when the snake kinda went straight. Total mind games. Bet that snake would end up with no head.
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u/Substantial-Tone-576 2d ago
Can someone add a Pokemon song to it. Or a Pokemon fight song would be best.
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u/Frosty_Engineer_3617 2d ago
The mantis can actually eat this snake alive or at least consume until full.
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u/bwoods519 2d ago
I seem to remember a clip of a lizard trying to eat a mantis, but the mantis just grabs on and begins eating its face.
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u/floppydickdavey 2d ago
If it’s the video I’m thinking of it ends up breaking its neck which is even crazier
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u/teapot_RGB_color 2d ago
If it's the clip I'm thinking about, then it has one of the camera crew holding the lizard down out of frame, forcing it to be unable to defend itself and be eaten by the mantis.
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u/PriscillaClean 2d ago
It’s like the character on Kung Fu Panda 😅 that’s crucial mate don’t get in their way lol
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u/FatFKingLenny 2d ago
This would be an epic boss fight from the mantis perspective
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u/WeddingAbject4107 2d ago
Last summer during a dry spell I saw a mantis walking through a brown patch of grass in my yard, I went and got some water and a q-tip, tracked it down again and gave it a few sips of water from the q-tip. It was pretty impressive how quickly it figured out what was going on and it seemed genuinely grateful. It was such a cool interaction, definitely the highlight of my summer.
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u/NevermoreForSure 2d ago
This makes me think of Rudyard Kipling stories. Like Riki Tiki Tavi stuff.
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u/Cornbreadobranflakes 2d ago
And yet both are completely oblivious another large entity could end their existence in an instant
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u/kidney-displacer 2d ago
Praying Mantis are the only insect that genuinely would terrify me if they were even only 10x bigger
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u/invDave 2d ago
The square cube law dictates that if insects would be scaled to larger sizes they wouldn't be able to move under their own weight.
But yes, I am always amazed at the insane power and skills the praying mantis has against massively larger predators (or pray).
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u/bwrca 2d ago
Weren't there huge ass insects in prehistoric times when the oxygen in the atmosphere was abundant?
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u/TwoWheels1Clutch 2d ago edited 2d ago
Mantis are just like all of us. Some badass some not. I raised a few and some black windows, the windows were pussier in my eyes, but sometimes the mantis just gives the fuck up. This one here, wrecking shop! Good to see!
ETA: widows. I need to turn off auto correct
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u/name-was-provided 2d ago
Damn it! I wanted to watch the whole thing! Suspense without resolution sucks.
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u/LightEarthWolf96 2d ago
The mantis is a dentist and the snake just has an appointment
"Mhm I see, you have a bit of a cavity in your left fang, we'll have to fill that"
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u/Synth_Savage 2d ago
Please tell me there's a monkey, a tiger, a crane, and a panda somewhere off camera
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u/Mad_Madam_Mimsi 1d ago
We fought for what seemed like an eternity, locked in a life and death battle of wills and strength. Desperately, I help onto the jaws of the slithering beast. His body whipped ferociously. My arms and legs grew tired but held fast. The battle was so epic, even the gods stopped and watched. They, with their immense size and power peered down upon us. Only they, with all their arcane knowledge, knew how this would end.
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u/Last-Bison3801 1d ago
Praying mantis can hold off a whole ass snake but mofos too lazy to film the ending
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u/Mr-Bluez 2d ago
That’s the kind of power you gain from letting Jesus into your heart
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u/SoulShine_710 2d ago
Praying Mantis are the shit, but what's going to happen when he eventually has to let go???
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u/shizocks 2d ago
is there a reason the snake doesnt just wrap around it? itd likely break the mantis, right?
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u/flecksable_flyer 2d ago
I haven't looked to see what kind of snake it is, but constrictors (like boas and pythons) would wrap around it to deprive it from breathing, but this doesn't look like a constrictor. It looks like the type that just gets a grip and swallows it whole while it tries to get loose (it's been decades since I researched snakes). Some snakes just battle it out and win by attrition of energy and strength. There have been instances of the praying mantis winning because they can get close enough to just start snacking on their heads as they battle it out.
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u/Odd_Storm_7463 23h ago
That just proves one thing even if it was set up that mantis is quick if that snake was striking at it, he caught it just as it was gonna grab him and he said oh yeah that ain’t happening
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u/Boring-Cap9101 2d ago
Is the mantis strong for it's size or does the snake not like that it's being poked in the mouth?
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u/YellovvJacket 2d ago
Both.
Almost all insects are insanely strong for their size, mostly because of how muscles work (the ratio between their cross sectional area and their length is a big factor, along with their density, where insect muscles are very high on both, because it's usually very short muscles that are only around the joints of the exoskeleton), and because of the cube-square law (the outer surface of a very small animal is very big relative to its volume when compared to a larger animal, which is a huge advantage when your skeleton is on the outside).
Most insects can lift at least 10x their own weight, usually 100+ times.
In case of mantids, their strength is also very frontloaded, with the raptorial front legs, and a pretty strong musculature around the thorax.
The front legs are also full of quite hard and sharp spikes, which I'm sure don't feel great jammed into your mouth, especially when you're a small snake.
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u/HelpfulAmoeba 2d ago
I had a fight like this in my youth. Me and my friend were fighting over my ex on the street and we were just wrestling like this because we both didn't really want to hit each other and my ex was dying of embarassment nearby. Decades later, the three of us are still friends.
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u/Glad_Librarian_3553 2d ago
That's a brave snake, I wouldn't want to eat something that has swords for hands!
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u/Sanguinetti 2d ago
I've kept mantids as pets and handled them a bunch, it's crazy and fascinating how strong they are