Customer Reviews

The Praying Mantids

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2 star:		(1)
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Excellent book,a comprehensive reference for both technical and non-technical readers on the insects that continue to fascinate people after thousands of years. Zoologists, biologists, psychologists, and ecologists cover history, morphology, and taxonomy; ecology and mating behavior; hearing and vision, motor behaviors; defensive behavior; and techniques for rearing, breeding, and researching. A battery of color plates include several that resemble find-the-mantis puzzles. Information is also provided on permits and responsibilities and sources of equipment and supplies for rearing and breeding, and on museums housing major mantic collections. This book has everything you want to know, so get it!

A truly fascinating book based on serious research in the field of entomology. The book caters to the readers who are aware and appreciate the beauty of pursuing knowledge by way of science. This is not a book for the beginner or temporary hobbyist wishing to only read about keeping a mantis alive. The concepts addressed in The Praying Mantids are often complicated and require a seriousness of thought and a scientific base to work with. Finally, The Praying Mantids is a long awaited and comprehensive book on mantids written from the perspective of a scientist.

Dr. Prete has put together a collection of the works of the finest research minds in the field, organized into a concise reference. Scientists and laymen alike will marvel at the quality of the presentation and the full color plates. Serious researchers will appreciate the quality of the data and the organized and well indexed approach. This volume is essential to the collection of any fan of the marvelous mantids.

I got the book for my husband for Christmas, he loved it. Great gift for nature lovers. He would recommend this item for anyone wanting to learn more about mantids.

This book is great if you are a biologist, entomologist, or need to know the science, morphology, behavior, etc. of these wonderful creatures.

It is an academic text, not full of pretty color pictures (though it does have a few pages of color photos) for the coffee table or novice pet owner.

If all you want to know is how to care for, feed, raise, and maybe breed pet mantids, then you do not even need a book at all.

The internet has a wealth of good information, care sheets, mantis and insect forums and numerous articles.

But if you want to know the morphology and taxonomy of the praying mantis, you won't find a better book for the price.

Recommended highly.

My item arrived on time and just as described. I would definitely buy from this seller again the future should I need to. Thanks again! :-D

Only book I could find summarizing the research on praying mantids. I just wish the authors would publish a more recent edition!

This book talks about mantids more than a pet, more cientific texts in it do the book a excelent tool for biology students like me.

We have two european mantids in our backyard, so I needed some information about what we are dealing with there.
This book gives you that and then some more - it is utterly scientific, and most certainly not for the casual reader!
But it delivers every information available on those fascinating creatures, down to the nuts and bolts of behavior, physics of flight, prey recognition, mechanics of the predatory forelegs and so on.
It is no easy read at some parts, and I freely admit to have skipped a few chapters. I am mostly interested in their behavior, their bodily features, and not so much why they are considered to belong to one class of insects rather than to another. But it is all there, together with all those marvelous latin words, plots, graphs, diagrams, tables ... well, I am a rocket engineer, so I don't mind reading a diagram once in a while.
And I can extract the information that I am really interested in from a large body of text rather quick. The depth of information contained in this book is breathtaking. This is a truly scientific masterpiece and yes, there are also some pretty pictures of mantids in there.
But again, if you are only interested in general facts, this book will overwhelm you. But if you are interested in more detailed information, maybe even with a scientific background, you found your treasure chest.

I bought this book because I wanted a complete book on Praying Mantids. I found this book to be way too excessif on the "mantids behaviors" and when I tried to find what is the right side to hang an ootheca no explanation were to be found any where in this book. For a book who claims to be complete! So unless you are going to be an University teacher who wants to specialise in Praying mantids, or is into dissecting them. I don't recommand this book at all, and the price ouch! Also this book claims to be generous with pictures, well! I don't see how a few pages in a very small chapter should be call generous.