What is a Praying Mantis?

Answer 1

The Praying mantis is a very cool insect that will eat the bad bugs in your garden. They are fast moving and hard to find. Watch them eat, they eat like they are munching a hamburger. They will also take a fly from your fingers if you are patient and have a steady hand and a live fly.

A Praying Mantis is so called because of the "pray-like" stance they take when waiting for prey.

The natural life span of a Praying Mantis in the wild is about 10-12 months, but some have been known to live up to 14 months in captivity. In cooler areas Mantids die during the winter months. The males sometimes die suddenly 2 or 3 weeks after mating. This is normally caused by the female's urge to kill off the male once the egg pouch has been produced (this does not happen with all mantis species). As with all insects, the praying mantis has a three segmented body consisting of a head, a thorax, and an abdomen. The adults have an elongated abdomen that is covered by its wings. Praying Mantids have very large compound eyes mounted on a triangular shaped head. This gives them a huge field of vision. They use their sight to detect the moment of pray, swiveling their heads to bring the pray into binocular- field of view. The articulated head is able to move 180 degrees. Their antennae are used for smell. The Praying Mantis can be found in most parts of the world that have a mild winter and plenty of vegetation. They spend most of their time in highly vegetated areas such as gardens, forests, and such. The Praying Mantis is a carnivorous insect that primarily feeds on other insects, such as Fruit flies, crickets, beetles, moths, or bees. It is not uncommon for larger Mantids to consume small reptiles, birds, and even small mammals.

They capture their pray using their natural camouflage to blend with the surroundings. There they wait until their pray was within striking distance. Then they snatch up their victim using their front legs, hold it down and consume it.

The Praying Mantis have many predators and often falls pray to animals such as, frogs, monkeys, large birds, bats, Spiders or snakes. They will also prey on each other, usually during the nymph stage or mating.

When a Praying Mantis feels threatened, it will stand tall and spread their forelegs which will allow them to penetrate the target. They fan out their wings and open their mouths. This makes the mantis seem bigger. They may also admit a hissing sound.

The Praying Mantis lays its eggs en mass, usually in the fall, on small branches or twigs. the eggs hatch in spring or early summer when a warmer temperature triggers the birth.