Animated computed tomography (CT) scan of the egg mass (ootheca) of the Chinese mantis (Tenodera sinensis). The female mantis produces an ootheca around four centimetres in diameter, containing up to 400 eggs arranged in an interesting hemispherical arrangement. The oothecae are generally affixed to vegetation. The eggs (blue) are surrounded by a foam of protein fibres (yellow), which harden into a tough protective casing. In the second half of the clip the fibres are stripped away, revealing the intricate arrangement of eggs within. The ootheca has air canals running to each egg that help to control the temperature within the ootheca. X-ray CT data were acquired at the Henry Moseley X-ray Imaging Facility (HMXIF), at the University of Manchester, UK.