By Journalist Jay
There are thousands
of Praying Mantis
species in the world
Praying mantis get their name because they have very long front legs that they hold in a position that reminds people of praying. There are about 1,800 species of praying mantids around the world. People often refer to any mantid as a praying mantis, but mantises are part of a smaller group within the mantids. Praying mantids are carnivores, eating mainly insects and other small animals. Many gardeners and farmers welcome mantids, because the insects they eat are often pests that hurt crops. In addition to insects such as crickets and grasshoppers, mantids eat spiders, frogs, lizards, and even small birds. Praying mantids have long necks topped by a triangular head. They can turn their heads 180 degrees—an entire half circle. They’re well-camouflaged, adapting to colors that help them blend with plants. Some also have amazing body shapes that make them look like leaves or branches. Their front legs have rows of sharp spines to help them hold on to their prey, which they usually begin to eat head first!
They have forelegs that are greatly enlarged and adapted for catching and gripping prey; their upright posture, while remaining stationary with forearms folded, has led to the common name praying mantis.
Here in Michigan they usually live from spring to late autumn with eggs overwintering; tropical mantids may live longer. They typically eat other insects and arthropods and can be quite cannibalistic, often eating each other as great numbers leave the egg case. When they hatch, they usually quickly escape to safety.
They have a metamorphosis that generally includes seven or more molts. Eggs are laid late in the season in an egg case, or ootheca (first foamy, then papery) and hatch in the spring. Most individuals seen in the field are gravid females; males are often eaten by females immediately after mating.
In the United States, the Carolina mantid and the Chinese mantid are among the most common species, the latter being an introduced species from Asia. These are the ones purchased as egg cases to put in our gardens.
Praying mantids are characterized by their unique physical features, including a highly mobile head and specialized forelegs that are folded in a position resembling prayer while they ambush prey. They possess advanced sensory systems, allowing them to detect environmental stimuli and accurately judge distances to their prey through binocular vision.
The life cycle of praying mantids follows a hemimetabolous development pattern, where eggs hatch into nymphs that resemble their adult forms but lack wings. While they face numerous challenges during their growth, including predation and competition, adults can reach significant sizes and occupy dual trophic levels in their ecosystems.
