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European Mantis or the Banded Centipede, Who Is The Boss?

Tonight I spotted both a European Mantis and Banded Centipede in the same location. The Banded Centipede was just a small youngster and the European Mantis a fully grown adult. I grabbed my phone and started to record in case their paths crossed.

Both are serious predators in their own world but due to the Banded Centipede only being a youngster would it be an easy snack for the Mantis? I’ve often wondered who would be king of the predator if the two ever crossed paths.

If you’re looking for a big fight scene then you’re not in luck as both go their own way, however, I was still surprised, take a look for yourself. Of course, there may have been some activity before I got there as the Mantis did look unusually un-mantis-like. Maybe the Centipede had already bitten it beforehand. It’s almost as if they respected each others status of killer predator but I’d still say the Centipede had the upperhand!

{Remember to watch in HD if possible}

Hummingbird Hawkmoth

Firstly, a HUUUUUUUUUUGE SORRY for the lack of content lately. I have been very busy with my commercial side of photography that I’ve had little to no time at all for any wildlife and nature photography. Very sad, but of course, I’ve had to follow the work that puts food on the table and with the current state of the planet it makes it even more important.

However, with my monthly article for the Algarve Resident now due, I decided to take some snaps of the many Hummingbird Hawk-moths that visit the garden.

These super fast moths are incredibly difficult to capture pin sharp due to the high speed they move. It’s easy to just put the shutter speed on maximum and hope for the best, but to make it even more challenging, I like to have the body sharp but allow for movement in the wings as I feel this tells the story about their incredible speed they flap them at.

Of course, then there is the angle and I’ve learnt over the years to try and predict movement of wildlife and moths are no exception, just much harder. As you can see from the shot below, I certainly nailed both the shutter speed and the prediction of where it was to feed. I have many shots that I’ll share at a different time, but for now here is just one I captured this afternoon.

(Click to view in Lightbox)


📷 Nikon D850, Nikon 80-400mm @ 400mm, f/5.6, ISO400, 1/2000sec

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