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Learn about the praying mantis, a carnivorous insect with a triangular head and a prayer-like stance. Find out how they hunt, mate, defend themselves and reproduce in different habitats around the world.
Sep 10, 2010 · Learn about the praying mantis, a predatory insect with folded forelegs and 3D vision. Find out how they hunt, mate, camouflage and face threats from humans and other predators.
Mantoptera. Praying Mantises are an order ( Mantodea) of insects that contains over 2,400 species in about 460 genera in 33 families. The largest family is the Mantidae ("mantids"). Mantises are distributed worldwide in temperate and tropical habitats. They have triangular heads with bulging eyes supported on flexible necks.
- They Have Great Vision. Praying mantises possess stereo vision, and thanks to the placement of their eyes, they also have a wide field of vision. Each of their eyes has a fovea—a concentrated area of photoreceptor cells that lets them focus and track with acuity.
- They Are Head Turners. Mantises are the only insects capable of turning their heads from side to side. Being able to turn its head without moving the rest of its body is a key advantage for a mantis when hunting, allowing for minimal movement as it sneaks up on prey.
- They Are Agile Like Cats. To the surprise of scientists filming them, mantises have been found to jump with extreme precision, contorting their body midair to land on a precarious and specific target.
- They Make Swift Work of Their Prey. Praying mantises wait to ambush or patiently stalk their prey, but once they’re ready to strike, they do so with lightning speed, attacking with those big front legs so quickly it’s hard to see with the naked eye.
- Most Praying Mantids Live in the Tropics. Of approximately 2,000 species of mantids described to date, almost all are tropical creatures. Just 18 native species are known from the entire North American continent.
- The Mantids We See Most Often in the U.S. Are Exotic Species. You're more likely to find an introduced mantid species than you are to find a native praying mantis.
- Mantids Can Turn Their Heads a Full 180 Degrees. Try to sneak up on a praying mantis, and you may be startled when it looks over its shoulder at you. No other insect can do so.
- Mantids Are Closely Related to Cockroaches and Termites. These three seemingly different insects – mantids, termites, and cockroaches – are believed to descend from a common ancestor.
Sep 1, 2020 · Learn about the remarkable praying mantis, a predator with unique ears, eyes and behavior. Find out how it hears bats, sees movement, fishes and mates in this blog post by Nature.org.
Learn about praying mantises, the carnivorous insects with long front legs and triangular heads. Find out how they hunt, camouflage, and reproduce in different habitats around the world.
