Uploaded February 2011 | Updated September 2026, 5 hours ago
Unicorn Mantis (Phyllovates chlorophaea)
This male got chomped by the female. She ate his head and both raptor claws, and on the day before Valentine's Day! As you can see his body is still very much alive and four days later it's still going strong. The body walks, searches for footholds and balances itself even without a head. This goes a long way in validating the idea that movement is learned by limbs rather than centrally in the brain. The brain may still be the center of consciousness that directs limbs to act on command, but memory of the intricacies of motion may belong to the limbs alone.
Do you type or perform other complex tasks without conscious thought? That may be because your hands have learned how to reach for each key and merely act on your brain's desire to strike that key, without the need to look at it or tell the hand how to make it happen.
To use this video in a commercial player, advertising or in broadcasts, please email Viral Spiral: contact@viralspiralgroup.com
Unicorn Mantis (Phyllovates chlorophaea)
This male got chomped by the female. She ate his head and both raptor claws, and on the day before Valentine's Day! As you can see his body is still very much alive and four days later it's still going strong. The body walks, searches for footholds and balances itself even without a head. This goes a long way in validating the idea that movement is learned by limbs rather than centrally in the brain. The brain may still be the center of consciousness that directs limbs to act on command, but memory of the intricacies of motion may belong to the limbs alone.
Do you type or perform other complex tasks without conscious thought? That may be because your hands have learned how to reach for each key and merely act on your brain's desire to strike that key, without the need to look at it or tell the hand how to make it happen.
To use this video in a commercial player, advertising or in broadcasts, please email Viral Spiral: contact@viralspiralgroup.com
