Mantis Religiosa
Praying Mantis endoskeleton
2007
Dimensions: 9"x7"x7" (exterior) 5"x4"x4.5" (interior)
Material: bone
Acrocinus sapienmanus
The males of some species within the Cerambycidae family possess notably long front legs. Much longer than those of their female counterparts, these appendages are a secondary sex characteristic used in mating.
Eupatorus viscusfacies
Able to lift up to 850 times their own weight, Rhinoceros beetles (subfamily Dynastinae) are proportionally the strongest animals on earth. Larvae of the five-horned species try to bite when handled, but do not appear to be cannibalistic under reasonable conditions.
Dimensions: 1.5”x1.5”x3.5”
Materials: Insect, wax, pigments, entomological pin
Torynorrhina flammea cunnus
During the Victorian era, various species in the family Bupresridae (Jewel Beetles) came into popularity among women of fashion as a form of living jewelry. Tethered by a thin gold chain, the insects were left to roam the lapel. At the end of the evening, the beetle was put back in a cage, watered, and fed- much like a pet.