Ever had an encounter with a Praying Mantis? It's something you won't soon forget!
Growing up I was a bit of a tomboy and would pick up just about anything except maybe a snake or a rat. Picking up a praying mantis was something I tried many, many times despite usually being pinched each and every time. I learned to be pretty careful about how I grabbed them. What was interesting is that they liked to frequent the large castor bean plants that lined the perimeter of our backyard.
Say, did you know that the female, after mating, will usually eat the male if he isn't fast enough? Girl power or an act of cannibalism?
Photo Credit: CatDancing.
Know about a praying mantis?
Praying Mantis FAQs
Did you know this about the praying mantis?
Mantodea or mantises is an order of insects that contains approximately 2,200 species in 9 families worldwide in temperate and tropical habitats. Most of the species are in the family Mantidae.
Historically, the term "mantid" was used to refer to any member of the order because for most of the past century, only one family was recognized within the order; technically, however, the term only refers to this one family, meaning the species in the other eight recently-established families are not mantids, by definition, and the term "mantises" should be used when referring to the entire order.
A colloquial name for the order is "praying mantises", because of the typical "prayer-like" stance, although the term is often misspelled as "preying mantis" since mantises are predatory. In Europe, the name "praying mantis" refers to Mantis religiosa.
The closest relatives of mantises are the orders Isoptera (termites) and Blattodea (cockroaches), and these three groups together are sometimes ranked as an order rather than a superorder. They are sometimes confused with phasmids (stick/leaf insects) and other elongated insects such as grasshoppers and crickets.
Praying Mantis by CatDancing
Praying Mantises = entire order
The more colloquial "praying mantises" should be used when referring to the entire order. Often mistakenly spelled preying mantis, they are in fact named for the typical "prayer-like" stance.
Praying Mantis reproduction + cannibalism
Sexual cannibalism is common among mantises in captivity, and under some circumstances may also be observed in the field.
The female may start feeding by biting off the male's head (as with any prey), and if mating had begun, the male's movements may become even more vigorous in its delivery of sperm.
Early researchers thought that because copulatory movement is controlled by ganglion in the abdomen, not the head, removal of the male's head was a reproductive strategy by females to enhance fertilisation while obtaining sustenance.
Praying Mantis mating video
Girl power? or just act of cannibalism?
Praying Mantis mating ... GIRL POWER or CANNIBALISM?
After mating, the female will devour the male ...
Fetching blurbs now... please stand byIt's downright GIRL POWER!
jillanne ballard says:
and goooooooooooooooooooo!
Posted November 08, 2009
MantisOwnsAll says:
Least he dies happy....
Posted July 25, 2009
naturegirl7 says:
He made the bet and took his chances. Such is life in the wild world.
Posted December 05, 2008
ElizabethJeanAllen says:
Mr Mantis knows the risks but he still jumps in the sac. At least she showed him a good time before he died.
Lizzy
Posted October 11, 2008
Sarah says:
After watching male humans, maybe the female mantises felt it would be wise to get the child support in advance.
Posted October 09, 2008
Jill says:
They and most spider species do this because they use the extra protein to lay more eggs.It's the most important meal of her lifetime. Since his genes are passed on and his continued survival will only put downward pressure on the food supply, she is doing her fellow females and future generations a favor by eating him.
Posted October 09, 2008
quirkymoo says:
it's bloody awesome - and this is coming from a male vegetarian.
Posted July 31, 2008
The_Homeopath says:
Hey, we wear heels, they eat their mates - same song, different dance.
Posted June 18, 2008
It's an act of CANNIBALISM!
dc64 says:
I like the praying mantis, but when I finally find the perfect mate, I don't think I'll eat him, (at least not this time).
Posted August 22, 2008
mantidgirl says:
im almost a teen and want to breed praying mantid but after watching the female scarf down the male like that im not so sure if i want to proseed with this idea i thought the mantid didnt have enough population now i see why. OOOhhh
Posted July 13, 2008
greg2213 says:
Heh. It's not Girl Power, it's Grrrrlll power! But, being a guy, guess which side I'm picking? :)
Posted April 13, 2008
Praying Mantis Death Duel
Death Duel of the Mantis
Amazon Price: (as of 12/25/2009) 
List Price: $9.99
![Death Duel of Mantis (Sub Ep) [VHS]](http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51GAHZWQDJL._SL75_.jpg)
Death Duel of Mantis (Sub Ep) [VHS]
Amazon Price: (as of 12/25/2009)
List Price: $9.98
Praying Mantis pics
Afican Praying Mantis Miomantis caffra Family: Manitdae Female
Praying Mantis that made his way inside and onto the TV stand.
This mantis was on a post when we stopped for gas. We brought it home in a hanki...
Praying Mantis books
1
2
Manuelo, The Playing Mantis by Don Freeman
When Don Freeman died in 1978, he left behind illu more...0 points
6
Milo, the Mantis Who Wouldn't Pray (Max Lucado's Hermie & Friends) by Max Lucado's Hermie & Friends
When a big storm destroys Milo's Snack Shack, he d more...0 points
9
Praying Mantises: Hungry Insect Heroes (Insect World) by Sandra Markle
Look quickly and you might just see one of nature' more...0 points
13
The Non-Praying Mantis: A Story About Prayer and Thankfulness by Matt Whitlock
Have you ever asked God for something but didn and more...0 points
14
Drop me a line ... are you a fan of the Praying Mantis?
What do you think of the praying mantis? Ever had an encounter with one? Got any interesting stories to share?
-
Reply
- Ladymermaid Ladymermaid Dec 7, 2009 @ 10:18 am
- I just stopped by to wish you, and those who surround you with love, a very merry holiday season. Many blessings in the New Year.
Ladymermaid
-
Reply
- kiwisoutback kiwisoutback Jul 16, 2009 @ 7:05 pm
- This is a cool lens. Whenever I see these, I usually leave them alone. They seem to like the sides of houses around here in New England. Squid Angel blessed!
- Load More
Praying Mantis buzz
- DVD Review: Praying Mantis Chain Styles 1 (MartialSkill 7 Star ...
- DVD Review: Praying Mantis Chain Styles 1 (MartialSkill 7 Star Praying Mantis Series). December 24, 2009 · Leave a Comment. My latest review is up at Blogcritics. I eventually plan to do a longer post about MartialSkill.com over here. ...
- Praying mantis on 17th-century Japanese helmet
- I thought the "Mr. Magoo" helmet was unusual, but this one with a golden praying mantis is extraordinary. It's part of a new acquisition by the museum at the Minneapolis Institute of Arts. The armor came from a Japanese museum that ...
- My Praying Mantis on Flickr - Photo Sharing!
- Taken sometime back. Traditional angle/POV ;-o) This was the LRT at Punggol. Did some correction for distortion and extended the frame for that flow thru effect.
- Emmie's Mantis 22×16 Praying Mantis Watercolor | Sinclair Stratton ...
- Emmie's Mantis Purchase Options 8 x 10 signed print $50.00 20 x 14 Print Edition 200 $275.00.
Did you know that the Praying Mantis is the state insect for South Carolina?
From fellow lensmaster OhMe!
South Carolina State Insect.-
South Carolina State Symbols and More
-
South Carolina is my home and I am proud of it. I wanted to make this lens for several reasons. First.our grandson is in the third grade and this is the year that South Carolina children learn about their state. I was in the third grade at Pendleton...
Creative Commons License
Do Squidoo, But Don't Plagiarize ...
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike 3.0 Unported License.
Plagiarism is the unauthorized use or close imitation of the language and thoughts of another author and the representation of them as one's own original work ... it is just NOT cool so don't do it!
by JaguarJulie
| Join my Fan Club | GIANT Squid 100 | Squid Angel | LOTD | Lensography | Stuffed Cabbage | Join Squidoo |
