When I returned to room after having dinner, I found an interesting creature in my room. It's a Praying Mantis, also called Praying Mantid, so called due to its positioning of fore limbs. Mantis means Prophet in Greek. But do not get misled by it's humble appearance. Its a carnivore.
It feeds on other mantises, Insects such as butterflies, beetles, grasshoppers, flies & crickets. At the bottom of this post there is a link where you can see pictures of a mantis that has caught a hummingbird. It uses it's fore limbs equipped with razor sharp spines to deliver a fatal blow that will penetrate it's prey & it quickly bites the neck of the prey before starting to eat.
The one I saw was brownish in colour & they vary from Green to Pink & flower mantises are magnificently beautiful with flower like appearance. This is essential to it for it's survival as there are so many predators such as Birds & spiders that feed on them. Also Mantises use their camouflage to catch their prey, as unwary victims pass-by without noticing it.
It feeds on other mantises, Insects such as butterflies, beetles, grasshoppers, flies & crickets. At the bottom of this post there is a link where you can see pictures of a mantis that has caught a hummingbird. It uses it's fore limbs equipped with razor sharp spines to deliver a fatal blow that will penetrate it's prey & it quickly bites the neck of the prey before starting to eat.
The one I saw was brownish in colour & they vary from Green to Pink & flower mantises are magnificently beautiful with flower like appearance. This is essential to it for it's survival as there are so many predators such as Birds & spiders that feed on them. Also Mantises use their camouflage to catch their prey, as unwary victims pass-by without noticing it.
The size ranges from 0.5 cm to 30cm in size. 
The specimen I found was a very small one, where I have taken a picture of it with a pen for size comparison.
The specimen I found was a very small one, where I have taken a picture of it with a pen for size comparison. The mantises are helpful in keeping the pest populations at control, but they eat friendly insects too without any discrimination.
Read more about Praying matises,
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Hey I just checked the bottom of the page. Congratulations!:0)
ReplyDeleteDaddy to be must be so excited!
Thanks Smiley!!!
ReplyDeleteFascinating blog you have mate...on the subject of mantises have you read Gerald Durrells books? One of his books on childhood has a fascinating account of a battle between a gecko and a mantis...btw belated congrats on the baby!
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