Praying Mantis (Mantodea)

It’s mating season for the praying mantis in right now. The females are working extra hard in our garden eating insects to build up enough energy to produce eggs. A gravid female praying mantis – like the green one shown - will produce an ootheca (large foamy mass that can contain up to 300 eggs). The ootheca sack helps protect the eggs.

Mating season is not an easy season for male praying mantis. They don’t need to feed as much as the females, but the mating ritual is risky for them. About 20 percent of the time a female praying mantis practices cannibalism with their mates. They bite the males head off during the act and, surprisingly, he keeps mating. The reason for the cannibalism is not entirely clear. It could be their aggressive nature or just the need for additional nutrition to produce eggs.

Praying mantis are exceptional hunters. They have excellent vision and hunt by stealth and a rapid striking attacks. They usually hunt other insects but some have been known to go after small vertebrates. The praying mantis has the distinction of being one of the few insects that can turn their heads.