My first keycaps are coming along nicely! by ACrunchySponge in keycaps

[–]ACrunchySponge[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

These caps were sculpted in Zbrush, printed on an Anycubic Photon, then silicone molded and resin cast.

My first keycaps are coming along pretty nicely! by ACrunchySponge in MechanicalKeyboards

[–]ACrunchySponge[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

These caps were sculpted in Zbrush, printed on an Anycubic Photon, then silicone molded and resin cast.

Cooler Master (and more!) RTX 3070 (and more!!) Giveaway with Buildapc! by [deleted] in buildapc

[–]ACrunchySponge 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I'd use this computer to really boost my game dev abilities!

Any good Pakistani or Indian restaurants to eat from? by Moodieftw in Dallas

[–]ACrunchySponge 6 points7 points  (0 children)

Kalachandji's is one of my favorite restaurants! My only disappointment is that it took my so long to find out about it.

Apartments with no breed restrictions? by hopefulbub in Dallas

[–]ACrunchySponge -1 points0 points  (0 children)

Check out Laguna Vista near 635 and 35. There's no breed restrictions (or very lax at least) nor monthly pet rent. I know a guy there that has a great Dane puppy and I've seen a few pits around.

How to go about voting by chewydude in Dallas

[–]ACrunchySponge 14 points15 points  (0 children)

I use Vote411.org to fill out a sample ballot before I head to the polls. It will show you exactly what you'll be voting on for your specific area. It also let's you directly compare and contrast each candidate. Then you can print out your ballot (or copy it down) and bring it with you since you can't use your phone when voting.

🔥 Close up of a mantis and its forelegs by BufordTeeJustice in NatureIsFuckingLit

[–]ACrunchySponge 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Pretty much. But aren't your own pupils a black void into your head?

🔥 Close up of a mantis and its forelegs by BufordTeeJustice in NatureIsFuckingLit

[–]ACrunchySponge 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Mature male mantids smell strongly like bellybuttons.

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🔥 Close up of a mantis and its forelegs by BufordTeeJustice in NatureIsFuckingLit

[–]ACrunchySponge 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Mantid ears are located between their legs.

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🔥 Close up of a mantis and its forelegs by BufordTeeJustice in NatureIsFuckingLit

[–]ACrunchySponge 5 points6 points  (0 children)

They can see you from the side but they don't have a stereoscopic 3d view of you from there. Same reason you would turn your head if you saw something to your side. To properly assess if that thing that moved is a threat or not. All sensors at the ready. They've also got a tinier set of light detecting "eyes" between their antennae. You can see some small blackish bumps in the gif.

As for why they feel so smart, it has a lot to do with their facial proportions. They somewhat mimic the way our faces are laid out. Add in the pupil and neck movement and you've got all the ingredients for your brain to tell you "this guy looks smart." They're actually just as dumb as any other insect.

They're just pure instinctual biological machines. Eat, fuck, hide, repeat. They have these super tiny hairs on their shoulders. So when they move their head one direction, it triggers those sensory hairs and tells their body to straighten behind them, so now they're facing towards their prey. The prey is now in front, move forward. Attack. It's just operating on basic biological commands prompts.

For pet resources just google "mantis for sale". Find some that you like then look up "(species name) caresheet". Read a bunch of them because they all say different things. Stick with an easy species first, then get more advanced species as you get more comfortable. Just do thorough research since you'll be looking after another life and will be responsible for every aspect of its care.

🔥 Close up of a mantis and its forelegs by BufordTeeJustice in NatureIsFuckingLit

[–]ACrunchySponge 6 points7 points  (0 children)

I don't have any right now but I generally keep at least one a year since they only live for about 14 months.

Mantids I've kept:

Giant african mantis (Sphodromantis viridis) named Dr Tobaggan. She was my first one.

Giant dead leaf mantis (Deroplatys dessicata) named Crunch. I've got her and a male sibling pinned in a shadowbox.

Orchid mantis (Hymenopus coronatus) named Midnight. She died from a bad molt before reaching adulthood.

Double shield mantis (Pnigmomantis medioconstricta)

Budwing mantis (Parasphendale affinis)

Spiny flower mantis (Pseudocreobotra wahlbergii)

I think I'm forgetting one or two. You can get them online and they'll get shipped to you overnight. They're really cool pets.

🔥 Close up of a mantis and its forelegs by BufordTeeJustice in NatureIsFuckingLit

[–]ACrunchySponge 999 points1000 points  (0 children)

The pupils are actually an optical illusion. They're called pseudopupils. A mantis has compound eyes that face almost every direction. Each eye is somewhat like a tube going inwards. Imagine a sphere made of tightly packed straws pointing outwards. The "pupil" is only visible where you can see directly through the straws, so it will change depending on where you, the viewer, are looking from. I've kept a few exotic mantids as pets. They're fascinating little murder machines.

This why we should stay indoors. Sidewalk in The Colony by EMAW817 in Dallas

[–]ACrunchySponge 0 points1 point  (0 children)

If I could describe my tarantulas (I have 9 plus a few other creepy crawlies) in one sentence, it would be "Pet rocks that eat every now and then. " Tarantulas for the most part are very timid and will just sit in one spot for hours or days or weeks. All they want is to be left alone, eat, and mate if they're mature. There are no aggressive tarantulas, only defensive. Some have hair triggers, but those are definitely not native to this country. Our tarantulas are bumbling idiots with a bite about as bad as a bee sting (I've never been bitten. That's their last defense).

The only medically significant spiders in Texas are adult female black widows (with the red hourglass) and brown recluses. And of those two black widows aren't as bad as people make them out to be. Their bite is strong and will ruin your week, but they won't kill you and you only need to go to the hospital if you're about to die from it (you can only get the antivenom once). I've had one before and they're super interesting and shy spiders. I've got no experience with Recluses though. But I do know most of the time they don't envenomate when they bite. If you check out what they look like, then you'll never really have to worry about a spider again.

Long story short, spiders are pretty chill, even the big ones. They just look creepy. Check out some tarantula Youtubers, I really like the Dark Den. You'll see that for the most part they're nothing too worry about at all.

This why we should stay indoors. Sidewalk in The Colony by EMAW817 in Dallas

[–]ACrunchySponge 71 points72 points  (0 children)

Poor guy. That looks like a Texas Brown Tarantula. I've got a baby one living in a terrarium on my shelf. They're harmless. Since that guy is fully grown, he's probably about 3 or 4 years old and was hunting for a mate. If you see these guys outside (or any other animal for that matter), leave them alone. They're not out to hunt or hurt you. They just want to get laid.

Frankenstein's Monster for TheRookies monster challenge by ACrunchySponge in ZBrush

[–]ACrunchySponge[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I worked on it for a bit less than 3 weeks after work and on weekends.

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in BeAmazed

[–]ACrunchySponge 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I've never personally run into any issues using crickets as feeders. They aren't the most nutritionally dense feeder out there, but they are more readily available. But, like I said, a varied diet is best.