Nutrition

The most popular plants for Megaphasma dentricus to feed on are grape vines; oak, elm, and mesquite trees; and grass (Arment 2006). As this species eats the leaves of the plant their residing on, they follow a specific pattern. They start out by making a small semi-circle in the leaf, and as they continue to eat, this semi-circle gets bigger and bigger. This process is always done from left to right (Wilkins 1951)

  

The males of Megaphasma dentricus do not fight with each other over food, and at times actually eat next to or on top of each other without grappling. About fifteen percent of both the males and females lives are dedicated to eating, with the exception of single, unmated females, who spend up to ninety-five percent of their time eating (Maginnis 2008). To drink, this species hangs off branches and dunks their heads in the water to the point of complete submergence. For the few minutes that they are submerged, their mouths are in constant motion (Wilkins 1951).

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