The praying mantis is an insect that causes surprise. His habits and behavioral characteristics can shock many people who were previously unfamiliar with this creature. The insect often appears in ancient myths and tales of different countries - in China, for example, mantises were considered the standard of greed and stubbornness. It's hard to believe that these little ones are very cruel. Dealing with their prey at a slow pace, these ruthless insects enjoy the process.
We tried to collect for you the most interesting facts about praying mantises - incredible insects! By devoting a little time to reading, you will learn something new - something with which you can surprise your friends and demonstrate your broad horizons.
Praying mantises are unique insects
Mantises are six-legged invertebrates with exoskeletons, segmented bodies and articulated legs. Their main distinguishing feature is their front legs, which are usually raised and under the head, giving the appearance that the insect is praying.
The praying mantis has a long chest, giving the appearance of having a long neck. The prothorax, or back of the chest, is very flexible, so the mantis can turn its head and forelimbs without moving the rest of its body. These are the only insects that have this ability. Moreover, some species are able to turn their heads 180 degrees.
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Why is the praying mantis called that?
The praying mantis family has about 800 species, although they are all little different from each other. These insects have long and narrow bodies, six legs, brown or green wings up to 5 cm long. But why is this seemingly quite ordinary insect called somewhat strangely - a praying mantis?
He received this name because of his pose. Very often it can be seen motionless, with its front, largest legs raised up. He stands like this for hours, legs folded, as if he is praying. But this pose is harmless only at first glance. The praying mantis folds its legs in this way not for prayer, but for hunting. As soon as any insect appears nearby, the praying mantis quickly throws its folded legs forward and grabs the victim. Sharp serrations located on the inside of the front legs help the mantis hold it.
Despite such a benevolent name, praying mantises are considered one of the most cruel and bloodthirsty insects. They feed on other insects, killing them mercilessly.
Praying mantises hop on four hind legs and can fly from place to place. Moreover, they are the only insects that can turn their heads to the sides and back and even look over their shoulders. So it is difficult for the victim to dodge them; they will still notice him. Mantises catch prey and, holding it with their paws, slowly savor it.
This insect has long been of interest to scientists and fear of all people who have heard about it. People call praying mantises “soothsayers” and “mule killers.” The first name, obviously, also came from the meaningful pose of the deceitful “holy man,” and the second comes from the belief that the saliva of a praying mantis can poison a mule.
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Praying mantises have excellent vision
Photo: Andrey Tikhonovskiy
Their head is triangular in shape with two large compound and three simple eyes providing a wide field of vision. The mantis's eyes are capable of stereopsis, a bizarre form of three-dimensional vision. Each eye has a fovea, a concentrated area of photoreceptor cells that allows them to focus and track prey with high precision.
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They are hunters who most often attack their prey from ambush. Some have excellent camouflage, such as a flower or leaf, which allows them to blend into their surroundings. They take a stationary position until their prey is within reach.
Some species can hunt prey by running after it on the ground, however, as we wrote above, most prefer to attack from ambush.
The forelimbs have spines
This is vital because its front legs are its main hunting tool. The praying mantis pounces on its prey with its fang-like forelimbs, intercepting it in just 50 to 70 milliseconds—about six times faster than the blink of an eye. The predator pierces the prey with its spikes, immobilizing it.
While most species have only a few spines, some have up to 30 spines. The thorns also help when jumping from one branch to another.
Photo: Hung Chei/Getty Images
Interesting Facts
They are masters of disguise
Mantises are hunters, usually attacking from ambush. By nature they are well camouflaged. Insects come in the form of leaves, sticks and branches. For example, flower mantises look so convincing that unsuspecting insects come to collect nectar from them... and become lunch.
Photo: www.blog.prepscholar.com
Secrets of the name
The praying mantis owes its name to the famous Swedish naturalist Carl Linnaeus. Sitting in ambush and lying in wait for his prey, he reminded the scientist of a man frozen in a prayerful pose. As a result, the insect received the Latin name “Mantis religiosa,” which literally meant “religious priest.” Subsequently, the phrase was transformed into the simpler and more common word “mantis.” Although in some countries it is called the devil's horse or even death for its creepy mating habits.
They have many predatory enemies
Praying mantises are a favorite food of frogs, lizards, birds, chameleons, spiders and hornets. Fire ants are a particularly formidable enemy. Because they work together, they have no problem killing the praying mantis. The insect's elongated forelimbs are not very useful against one ant, let alone dozens of individuals that secrete paralyzing poison. The fire ants freeze the mantis in place and devour it in a swarm, preventing it from escaping.
Since some of their most dangerous predators are birds, moving at night is safer for praying mantises. They even have a special organ that can pick up the echolocation calls of bats, helping them hide before they are eaten.
Oddities of the name
Mantis is a very peculiar name for an insect. Who called him that and why? The initiator of this name was Carl Linnaeus.
When an insect takes an expectant position during a hunt, it folds its legs in such a way that it closely resembles the figure of a praying person.
Praying mantises have unique ways of protecting themselves from predators
Different species of mantises have many unique adaptations that help them hide from or fight off predators in different environments.
Their best defense is camouflage. Many praying mantises are green or brown, so they blend in perfectly with the leaves and branches; others have a pink tint that mimics orchid petals. Some praying mantises are very flat, so they cast virtually no shadows, making them even harder to see.
Some species have even adapted to change colors depending on the time of year. For example, one species of praying mantis turns black during the dry season to blend in with burned trees.
When mantises are subject to predation, they have several other defense mechanisms. If approached by a potential predator, they will typically stand up and spread their front legs and wings to appear larger. Some praying mantis species have colors or patterns on their exoskeleton that further deter enemies.
Photo: Ca Pro / CC BY-SA 3.0
The praying mantis can strike or pinch a predator with its spiked front legs or bite with its pointed jaws. They may also make hissing sounds as they push air out of the abdominal airways.
Population and species status
Numerous populations of mantises are gradually decreasing. However, this feature is characteristic only of insects in the European part of the world. In African and Asian countries, praying mantises continue to breed. Great harm to populations is caused not by their natural enemies, but by human activity. People are destroying the natural habitats of mantises, cutting down forests and destroying fields. Sometimes there are situations when one type of mantis displaces another from certain territories. Sometimes genocide occurs, since praying mantises are very voracious.
Since insects are predominantly heat-loving, they do not reproduce well in cool areas. The larvae also develop more slowly, so complete restoration of the population takes a lot of time. Old generations have time to die out before new ones appear. To preserve the population, people try to minimize the damage caused by human activity to the environment.
Mantises engage in sexual cannibalism
The reproductive system is one of the main things that terrifies people about these creatures. Mantises exhibit sexual cannibalism, which means that the female eats her partner after or even during the mating process.
The mating cycle begins in the fall in temperate climates or occurs year-round in the tropics. When the female is ready to mate, she produces pheromones to attract mates. Males approach, but are usually cautious because male praying mantises are smaller than females and females require a lot of energy to produce eggs. If they see a male as a source of food rather than a potential mate, they will eat him before he has a chance to mate.
Mating can last for several hours, even if the female bites off the male's head. The forward movements are controlled by a ganglion, a group of nerves located in the abdomen, so if the male's head is bitten off, the movements will continue.
Photo: www.blog.prepscholar.com
It was previously thought that the female would bite off the male's head because the head was not needed for copulation, allowing the female to obtain nutrients and mate at the same time. More recent research suggests that sexual cannibalism occurs more frequently in captivity, and the behavior is determined by the stress of being observed by the researcher. Moreover, about 25% of mating attempts end with the female completely eating the male.
While the practice may seem counterproductive, sexual cannibalism can provide surprising benefits to male mantises. Research has shown that male praying mantises that are consumed during mating pass on more of their genetic material to their offspring, suggesting that sexual cannibalism is an evolutionary advantage.
Oddities of the name
Mantis is a very peculiar name for an insect. Who called him that and why? The initiator of this name was Carl Linnaeus.
When an insect takes an expectant position during a hunt, it folds its legs in such a way that it closely resembles the figure of a praying person.
The female lays up to 400 eggs
Mantis eggs are laid in a foamy brown secretion called an ootheca, which becomes hard and protects the eggs from damage and predators. Most species die soon after laying eggs, but some can guard and protect the offspring before they hatch.
Photo: OLIVER KOEMMERLING/CC
Mantis eggs remain in the ooteca during the fall and winter and hatch as nymphs in the spring. Nymphs are very similar to adult mantises. They molt 5 to 10 times before reaching their adult size.
Migrations
Insects are endowed with large wings. They fly up to 5–8 kilometers per day in search of food. During the mating season, an adult mantis can travel up to 15–20 kilometers; reproduction requires a food supply and conditions for laying edema. The arthropod migrates to territories located hundreds of kilometers from its former habitat.
The praying mantis inspired the creation of two martial arts styles
This skilled hunter was the inspiration for two different types of Chinese martial arts: the Northern Mantis style and the Southern Mantis style. Despite their similar names, they developed independently of each other.
The Nordic style is primarily inspired by the aggressiveness of the insect. This style uses a variety of fast, circular attacks followed by precise, targeted strikes to vital organs.
The Southern Mantis style involves close combat with short bursts of attacks. This style originated from the Hakka people of China and there are many variations of it.
Dimensions
We have already mentioned above that female praying mantises are much larger than males, oddly enough, this is where their main sexual difference manifests itself.
A species of praying mantis, called Ischnomantis gigas in Latin and living in Africa, can reach 17 cm in length; perhaps this representative of the praying mantis kingdom is a real record holder in size.
Ischnomantis gigas is the largest praying mantis in the world.
It is slightly inferior to Heterochaeta orientalis or Heterochaeta eastern, it reaches 16 cm in length. Ordinary mantises are much smaller in size, on average no more than 0.5-1.5 cm in length.
Spreading
The praying mantis is widespread in Southern and Central Europe, South and North America, Asia, Australia, and Africa.
These insects do not live only in the northern regions, since they have an extremely negative attitude towards the cold. But in the humid and hot climate of tropical Africa and South America they feel excellent. They feel no less comfortable in tropical forests, rocky deserts, and steppe regions. The praying mantis insect moves quite rarely, preferring its habitat to distant and unknown territories. The only reason that can force him to travel is a lack of food.
