![]() Mantises are masters of camouflage! This helps them escape predators and attract prey at the same time. A leap takes less than one-tenth of a second! They can also change directions mid-air to jump on a specific target. They use their front and hind legs to maintain balance while in the air. Praying Mantises are very jumpy! They are extremely good at controlling their body. The males usually fly at night only to prevent being seen by predators. The only time Mantises do fly is during mating season when females attract males. Many Mantises are thus completely flightless. Do Praying Mantis fly?Įven in species that are not wingless, wings mostly develop very late in life. The inner wings are clearer and delicate. The outer wings act as a shield for the inner ones and also help the Mantis camouflage. In the winged species, there are 2 sets of wings present. They are either long-winged, short-winged, or wingless. This helps them quickly distinguish between prey and predators. Some species of Mantises can rotate it a full 180 degrees! When they notice a moving object, they will immediately turn their head to bring it into the direct field of view. The long necks of Mantises are highly flexible. Using this, their brain can tell how far and deep the object actually is. The two eyes provide slightly different images of the same objects. What does this mean? Just like humans, Mantises can also sense depth. They also have a stereo vision or 3D vision. This affords the Mantises a wide field of vision. It lets them focus and track prey efficiently. It is a collection of many cells that help them see. The front portion of the big eyes is called a fovea. The smaller eyes are used for detecting light. The big eyes are used for detecting motion and distance. These include 2 large, forward-facing compound eyes on both sides and 3 simple eyes in the middle of its head. Praying Mantis Physical Traits Praying Mantis Eyes and VisionĪ Praying Mantis has a total of 5 eyes. Males have a shorter life expectancy of 7 to 8 months, compared to 11 to 12 months for females. In the wild, Praying Mantises have an average lifespan of only 1 year. This includes rainforests, grasslands, meadows, and even deserts. ![]() They thrive in areas with mild winters and sufficient vegetation. Praying Mantises are found on every continent of the world except Antarctica! They are mostly found in tropical and subtropical regions. Thus, it might just be a stress response. One train of thought also believes that sexual cannibalism is only practiced by Mantises who are under observation. Some scientists also think the amino acids that females receive on eating the males help them lay more eggs. This is because well-fed females seem to eat the males less than hungry ones. ![]() Some believe this helps the female get sustenance during the mating process, which can be very energy-intensive. There is no concrete reason for why Mantises do this. During mating, the female Mantis will often bite off and eat the male’s head! This usually happens when the male is dismounting the female. Why do female Mantises eat the male?Īlmost 90% of predatory Mantis species practice a ritual called sexual cannibalism. ![]() Mostly, they eat only non-venomous spiders that are small in size. This is to protect themselves from harmful venom sacs. They grab spiders from their rear end before eating them with their powerful mouths. Praying Mantises are known to catch and eat live spiders. They usually wait for the prey to come within their reach, although a few species may hunt when they’re really hungry. Chinese Mantis sometimes feed on pollen too! Mantises only feed on live prey. Larger Mantises can also eat smaller ones. ![]() They occasionally feed on vertebrates like lizards, frogs, small fishes, and birds! They also like ants, caterpillars, moths, flies, and beetles. Their diet mainly includes crickets and grasshoppers. They eat many insects and even small animals. Individuals have been known to reach a whopping length of over 10 inches! What do Praying Mantis eat? It is a big stick mantis from East Africa. The largest known species of Mantises is Leptocola phthisica. They can grow as long as 5 inches! The largest specimen was recorded in 1929, with a length of over 7 inches! The Chinese Mantis, Tenodera sinensis, is one of the largest species of Praying Mantises. You can check out our article on Grasshopper facts for kids. It has an average length of only 0.39 inches! Another species from Australia, Archimantis monstrosa or the Monster Mantis, can grow up to 3.5 inches! The smallest species of Mantises is Bolbe pygmaea, found only in Australia. On average, they have a length of 2 inches and weigh 0.009 pounds. Since there are so many species of Praying Mantises, their sizes also vary. Praying Mantises are usually green or brown in color. They have 2 large compound eyes and 3 smaller ones. Mantises have large triangle-shaped heads. ![]()
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