Oracle Application Server 10g Essentials

Colophon

Our look is the result of reader comments, our own experimentation, and feedback from distribution channels. Distinctive covers complement our distinctive approach to technical topics, breathing personality and life into potentially dry subjects.

The animal on the cover of Oracle Application Server 10g Essentials is a praying mantis. These large, predatory insects are widely scattered throughout the world; some of the approximately 1,500 species are endangered. They have highly specialized prehensile legs, with elongated front segments that allow them greater reach. Their long neck-like thorax enables them to swivel their heads completely to the rear, making them the only insects who can look directly behind themselves.

The word “mantid” is Greek for “prophet” or “seer.” The insects were so named because the position in which they hold their legs while at rest or preparing to attack their prey gives them the appearance of folding their arms in prayer. In African art, the praying mantis is often depicted as a god or spirit.

Mantises lie in wait and then quickly pounce on their prey, giving them no time to flee. It is not uncommon for a mantis to hold onto its prey with one leg while going after another with the second. They eat almost anything-insects, small reptiles, small birds, and other mantids. Females often eat their mates during copulation; once the process has begun, she bites off his head. The male’s copulatory activity isn’t curtailed by this, and in some species ...