Praying Mantis monster

This is the biggest I have ever seen.

 

Cool those things are wicked

 

That is huge

I saw the smallest one I've ever seen the other day, it was cute

 

They are fascinating critters. The only problem is too many women today look at them as role models.

 

Good one.

 

When I was a kid in Maryland, we used to get big ones like that. We’d let them crawl on our arms, they where almost as long as our for arms. Supposedly they have some of the best eyesight and in the animal kingdom. Them and Dragonflies.

 

That's what she said...

 

What do Praying Mantids Eat?

The Praying Mantis is a carnivorous insect. This means it lives off of other animals not plants. It mostly lives off of other insects like flies and crickets, but some larger Praying Mantids may occasionally capture and eat a small reptile or bird.

How long will a Praying Mantis Live?

Praying Mantids will usually live from spring to fall. The longest a Mantis will live is around 1 year. One of the strangest things about this insect is that the female will often eat the male and siblings will often eat each other.

Are they endangered?

Most species of the Praying Mantis are not endangered and many are kept as pets. They are also good to have in your yard as they will eat other insects.

Fun Facts about the Praying Mantis

• Predators include frogs, rodents, birds, and bats.
• Although they sit still a lot and look slow, they are extremely fast when they move to attack their prey.
• There are over 2,000 species of praying mantis. Around 20 species live in North America.
• When capturing their prey, they typically bite of its head first. This way it will stop moving and can't get away.

 

Damn

 

He’s on the move. Stayed on the screen door all day and this morning when it warmed up he went into hunting mode.

 

Gotta eat

 

I like how the plural is mantids.

 

A fav host for the Nematamorpha.

 

true - I found that out this summer while sitting on my deck. My wife has a humming bird feeder that attracted 3 separate ones that were cool to watch because 1 acted like it was his and would chase the others away if they got on it. Well one day I was out there and they were acting real reluctant around it and I noticed a big PM on it, which I though was strange but figured he was there for the bee's that would buzz around it as well. Wrong, one of the humming birds landed to get a drink and the PM lunged at him and held on briefly before falling off. Man I wish I had known, that would have been a good time to record. Anyway, I looked it up online and that's how I learned what bad asses they are, he almost had a meal several times bigger than him..

 

I retrieved a Camel Cricket from the basement and put it in front of him, he really got interested. But he’s standing down now.

 

Maybe later?

 

Could be wrong but I think that’s a she. Bigger and more brightly colored.

 

Chinese mantid, an imported species and the largest in the USA.