the mantis will attack butterflies, bees, beetles, spiders, frogs, mice, lizards, and small birds (such as that poor hummingbird)
they have very good eyesight and can see the slightest movement even up to 60 feet away. they have two huge compound eyes that can each look 180 degrees as well as three simple eyes in between the two big compounds.
femal matids will sometimes eat the males after mating
in fact, mantises will eat each other even when not just finishing up consumation. they are cannibals.
the mantis uses it's two front legs to attack it's prey. his front legs are equipped with sharp spines on them like a jack knife
a mantis will shed his skin 12 times before it is full grown
once caught, they bite thier victims at the back of their necks to paralyze them and minimize their pain as they eat them alive (very considerate don't you think?)
they are one of the few insects that can turn it's head
females produce a large foam mass called an ootheca that can contain up to 300 eggs. female mantises cannot fly despite having wings because of the weight of their eggs before they lay them
there are approx 2300 species of mantises worldwide mostly found in tropical or subtropical regions, although some species can survive in warm temperate climates
they are named for their "prayer-like" stance, although they could just as well be called "preying mantises" as they are vicious hunters
mantis derives from the Greek word mantes which means prophet, fortune teller, or soothsayer.
once their eggs are layed in the ootheca, they can take up to 5 months to hatch, and once they start to hatch it can take up to 5 weeks before all of the nymphs fully emerge from the protective sac
the females are one of the very largest insects out there
in some cultures, mantises are regarded as holy
some believe that if you are lost and you see a mantis, you should go in the direction it is facing and it will lead you home
others think that the mantis always "prays" toward Mecca
adults are usually 2-6 inches long
they lay their eggs in the fall, they usually hatch in april or may as the weather warms up, they become adults by august, and they die in October
they are hunted especially by bats and it has recently been discovered that some species of mantids have a hollow chamber within their bodies that detects certain sound frequencies (such as a bat's squeal). when it picks up the frequency, they drastically change their flight pattern, often hurling themselves to the ground in a spiral pattern to avoid being picked off and eaten.
they have ultrasound ears on their metathorax
they have very powerful jaws to devour their prey
praying mantises usually wait for their prey to come to them while they disguise themselves as flowers or leaves, but occasionally they will stealthily stalk their prey, much like a cat