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Description.
Insect with a long, flexible neck and well-developed eyes. Its 2 front legs, held in a praying manner, are adapted to seizing prey; its 4 back legs are designed for walking and jumping. Females of some species are wingless; males generally have wings. Length ranges from 2/5 to 6 inches. Some species have a single ear tuned to high frequencies, apparently to help in detecting and eluding bats. There are some 1,800 mantid species, including the praying mantis.
Life Cycle. North American species live from spring to fall. Tropical species can live up to 1 year. The female excretes a pheromone to attract males. Eggs can be laid as early as a day later. Nymphs hatch after a month in the tropics, or after the winter has passed in temperate regions. Mantids only undergo a partial metamorphosis from the nymph to adult stage. Nymphs resemble adults, but lack fully-developed wings. They molt 6 or 7 times before becoming adults. Habitat and Distribution. There are mantid species throughout the world, except for the polar regions. They live in bushes, trees and grasses. |
 "Mantid" means prophet in Greek. Arabs say mantids "pray" toward Mecca. They are cannibals. They strike in 1/20 of a second. 
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Behaviors.
The mantid waits motionless for prey and strikes with lightning speed (1/20 of a second or faster), impaling the prey on its front legs. Its defense mechanisms include camouflage, stealth and rearing up and rattling its wings. When it senses a bat, the mantid changes its flying pattern suddenly. In some species, the female eats the male's head while mating. His headless body continues copulating. Then she devours the rest of him. Food. Mantids are highly predacious and consume whatever they can catch, including small birds, lizards, frogs and mice. However, their main food is insects, including other mantids. On hatching from their eggs, they will eat their own siblings. Threats. The mantid's main natural predators are bats and other mammals, birds, snakes and spiders. Human threats include habitat destruction, predation and pesticides, which are ingested through prey. |
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