Mantis

=Praying Mantis= ====As part of the [|**Clear Creek Education Foundation**] Grant I was awarded this year, we have studied and watched ants create an amazing tunnel system in their gel habitat. An additional part of that grant was to hatch praying mantis to see their life cycle and compare it to the ants and other animals we have studied this year.====

====The first thing we received several weeks ago was an unusal looking egg sac. We had to hang it from a stick inside the habitat. According to the directions, within 2-3 weeks, mantis nymphs would hatch.====

The nymph is that small beige spec in the petri dish on the right.
====Today as the kids were watching, more nymphs hatched! They came out this beige color and had really dark compound eyes. Within hours after coming out of the egg sac, they turned darker brown and their eyes lightened and were not in as much contrast to their bodies.====

Here are the pictures of our 4th grade buddies who came down to help us research some information about the mantids. We were all very excited!
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