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Praying Mantis Mating Ritual, Habits, and Facts

praying mantis mating facts
PHOTOGRAPH BY ISTOCK

The mating behavior of a praying mantis in the wild has been the subject of longstanding debate since the second half of the 19th century yet no convincing studies came to the fore. However, lately scientists are beginning to take interest as to how mantids mate in the wild; what are the peak mating months and days, and how males and female both get together as the breeding season arrives. This article is an attempt to answer these questions.

Praying Mantis Mating Facts – How Do Praying Mantis Mate? – When Do Mantis Mate? – Time of Year & Time of Day

When Do Mantises Mature?

Adult mantis is known to mate probably in the first week of eclosion. Eclosion is a biological process in which the nymph turns into an adult. One of the females of S. carolina copulates nearly five times after reaching adulthood. Sometimes a male mantid can copulate within just 30 hours following eclosion.

Scientists believe that many mantis species are most likely to mate within 14 days following adulthood. Nonetheless, the European mantis (Mantis religiosa) female is not thought to release pheromones until she becomes 14 days old.

Therefore every species has its own maturation time but the overall conclusion is that males likely copulate earlier than the females. Studies suggest that males can copulate as early as 7 days whereas no females younger than 14 day have been observed to copulate.

Read More Do Praying Mantis Die after Laying Eggs?

praying mantis mating rituals
Mantises mating at night. The female is significantly greater than the male.

When Do Praying Mantis Mate? – Mating Months

For those mantids’ population that inhabits temperate habitats the mating begins in August and ends in November. This includes mantis living in the northern California, Maryland, and Portugal. Mantis’ eggs however overwinter so they are hatched in April and June the following year.

In some parts of the world, adult mantises survive all throughout the year particularly in western Africa and Trinidad. The African mantis’ population appears to spend many months in mating.

When Do Praying Mantis Mate? – Mating Hours

Since male mantis does all the hard work such as looking for a female; following pheromones; and approaching her during daytime, it’s logical to assume that mating occurs somewhere in the daylight hours. For instance Mediterranean mantis (Iris oratoria) and Arizona mantis (Stagmomantis limbata) mounts the female around 1200 and 1800 hours. Scientists claim that these are peak mating hours for a praying mantis.

But, not all species mate at noon for there are some such as the South American dead leaf mantis (Acanthops falcata) that mate minutes after the first light of the day i.e. dawn. A few species are observed mating even in full-moon nights although it is too rare to occur. However, scientists do believe that since researchers have their own limitations that is they just can’t observe mantis mating at night that doesn’t mean all mantises are diurnal. The Mantis religiosa was once seen approaching the female after sunset.

Read More Praying Mantis Egg Sack

praying mantis mating facts
PHOTOGRAPH BY ISTOCK

How Do Praying Mantises Communicate to Mate?

Worldwide, insects will communicate their intentions to the mating partner in three main signals; namely, visual, chemical, and mechanical.

Mechanical signals involve calling out their partners loudly. Mantises have been known to produce sounds by rubbing their underwings and abdomen or simply scrapping but they do this in order to display threats. Consequently it means that mantises do not mate using mechanical signals.

Chemical signals involve discharging some kind of a chemical to tempt the mating partner. The female mantids will release pheromones when she’s willing to mate. The male will find the female by following these pheromones. According to the scientists, the M. religiosa female attracts the male from as far a distance as 100 meters away. In species, where females are flightless and live a sedentary lifestyle the pheromones are going to be discharged from far off.

Mantids just don’t rely on visual signals in an attempt to look for their mating partner.

Praying Mantis Mating – video

How Many Legs Does a Praying Mantis have? – Praying Mantis Legs

how many legs does a praying mantis have

Of course praying mantis has four legs just like most other insects around the world. However, unlike other insects, the mantis’ legs are just a little too complex and strange. The unorthodox standing posture of a mantis is only one of its kind. The way they stand and grab their prey, mantises don’t really have any resemblance to any other species whatsoever.

The front legs or perhaps arms of a mantis are modified in a way that should facilitate her to capture its prey. There are claws attached to the end of its arms. These claws make sure that the prey doesn’t get away once the mantis captures it.

Nonetheless, if you take forelegs of a mantis as its arms then it probably has six legs instead of four. You’ll be surprised to know that mantises can stand on two legs so they can use their forelegs together with their arms. By so doing, mantises can employ its defense and offense skills rather effectively because only their two legs are engaged while the other four are free to serve.

Praying Mantis Legs – Video


References

Roy, Roger (1999). “Morphology and Taxonomy”. In Prete, Fredrick R.; Wells, Harrington; Wells, Patrick H.; Hurd, Lawrence E. The Praying Mantids. Johns Hopkins University Press. pp. 21–33. ISBN 978-0-8018-6174-1.

Is a Praying Mantis an Insect?

is a praying mantis an insect

Absolutely! Praying mantis is an insect just like billions of others. However, the mantis’ uncanny disposition together with its seemingly reverent forelegs does leave people to wonder what type of insect it is. But it’s an insect. Mantises are essentially sticky insects probably the jumping ones that belong to the cockroach family. Let us see what makes a praying mantis an insect.

Is a Praying Mantis an Insect?

Worldwide, insects are characterized by three main body parts; thorax, abdomen, and head. Praying mantis qualifies for all these characteristics. The mantis’ abdomen is further divided into five to six segments which are probably found in most other insects.

Every insect ought to have one pair of antennae, joint legs, and compound eyes.

Every insect ought to have one pair of antennae, joint legs, and compound eyes. The male mantis has longer antennae as compared to that of a female. Mantids have two compound eyes too.

Generally insects may or may not have wings. Some species can fly while others are simply wingless yet they are insects. In mantids, both male and female possess wings but only former can take to the skies.

Most insects hatch from eggs so as the praying mantis. However, the mantis’ eggs are laid in a protective case known as ootheca. Furthermore, praying mantis like other insects, undergo numerous metamorphosis stages before turning into adulthood.

The closest relatives of praying mantis are cockroaches and grasshoppers. All these species often fall prey to mantis.

Is a Praying Mantis an Insect? – video


References

Erwin, Terry L. (1982). “Tropical forests: their richness in Coleoptera and other arthropod species” (PDF). The Coleopterists Bulletin. 36: 74–75.

Erwin, Terry L. (1997). Biodiversity at its utmost: Tropical Forest Beetles (PDF). pp. 27–40. In: Reaka-Kudla, M. L.; Wilson, D. E.; Wilson, E. O. (eds.). Biodiversity II. Joseph Henry Press, Washington, D.C.

Chapman, A. D. (2006). Numbers of living species in Australia and the World. Canberra: Australian Biological Resources Study. ISBN 978-0-642-56850-2.

Praying Mantis Fun Facts – 10 Mantis Facts You Probably Didn’t Know

praying mantis fun facts
A female praying mantis PHOTOGRAPH BY DAILYMAIL

However bizarre or intimidating they may appear to be, praying mantises have long intrigued scientists not only for their amazing camouflaging ability but also for their uncanny ability to control the spin of their body. Worldwide, there are around 2,400 species of a mantis—ranging in size from as small as a human nail to as big as a human forearm. Perhaps it’s time to bring out some more interesting facts about praying mantis.

Praying Mantis Fun Facts

praying mantis fun facts
A female praying mantis PHOTOGRAPH BY DAILYMAIL

10Prayer-like Posture

The praying mantis earns its name due to its prayer-like posture especially when it raises its seemingly reverent forelegs. For the same reason, the mantis is highly esteemed in some parts of the world; a few people even consider mantids as a sign of good luck.

9Remarkable Vision

Studies suggest that the praying mantis is probably the only insect able to swivel its head and stare right straight at you. Lately, scientists have also discovered that the mantis’ eyes may well be equipped with 3-D vision.

8Accurate Jump

A mantis doesn’t jump haphazardly. In fact, it is able to control its trajectory by twisting its abdomen and body parts alongside head. They don’t miss the target. The head-movement is meant to judge precisely the distance between the two points.

7Feeding on Birds

You might have heard that birds feed on insects but how about if it occurs the other way round. Mantises are the only insects that feed on birds. While hummingbirds are the most primary target mantids do take on European robins, sunbirds, flycatchers, warblers, honeyeaters, and vireos. Chinese mantises, one of the biggest species, are particularly avid avivores. Only females kill and eat the birds.

6Sexual Cannibalism

The female mantis kills and eats the male either during or sometimes after the mating. She bites the head off the male. Since females are twice bigger than the males and they cannibalize their mating partner males usually avoid head-on with the female.

5Male’s Flight

Males are thought to fly only although both males and females have wings. Females, with their heavy weight and bigger size, are probably just too heavy to lift off the ground.

4Number of Eyes

Praying mantises have five eyes out of which two are compound eyes while three are simple. Scientists believe that mantises might see things in three-dimensional way just like we humans do.

3Ambush Hunters

Mantids are ambush hunters and their predatory nature enables them to take on animal the size of their own. Like big cats, they will stalk prey and grab it with its neck.

2Ootheca – Egg Sack

The female mantis produces 100 to 300 eggs over a period of several days. The eggs are protected in a hard frothy liquid. The entire egg sack is known as ootheca.

1Spinning Bodies

While in flight praying mantis manages to generate a bit of spin together with swinging their head side to side. They will swing their heads to gauge the distance and judge the landing on a ridiculously iffy target.

Interesting Facts about Praying Mantis – Video

Orchid Mantis – Facts and Complete Information about Orchid Praying Mantis

orchid praying mantis facts
A mating pair of the orchid mantis. The female is the larger of the pair, and can grow up to four inches in length. PHOTOGRAPH BY JASON ZHU/NYTIMES

The orchid mantis (Hymenopus coronatus) is a flower-like mantis which is largely found in the tropical forests of Southeast Asia. The Hymenopus bicornis is another scientific name for orchid praying mantis. People usually call them by different names precisely due to their uncanny physical appearance. Pink mantis and walking flower mantis are some of the most common names. Orchid mantises typically breed in the Indonesian forests.

Orchid Mantis – Orchid Praying Mantis Facts, Diet, Lifespan

Physical Description and Characteristics

  • Orchid mantis is one of the few mantises that imitate flowers. But unlike most other mantises, orchid manties are least likely to choose flowers as a successful hunting ground. The reason is simple; orchid mantises become themselves flower, they don’t need to hide in one.
  • The flower-like appearance of a mantis enables it to inhabit in just about every open field. They preferably seek out patches of green vegetation to tempt their prey.
  • The female can reach the overall length of 4 inches while the male averages around 2 inches.
  • Unlike male, the female displays rich creamy white plumage with some prominent brown patches on it.
  • The orchid mantis is so cryptically colored that it literally looks like a flower. It won’t be wrong to assume that orchid mantises are masters of camouflage.
  • The mantis’ lobes remind us of flower petals. Females are nearly twice the size of males. The nymphs have a strong bite and are disgusting in taste. Pink and brown are the prominent colors of mantis’ body.
orchid praying mantis facts
A mating pair of the orchid mantis. The female is the larger of the pair, and can grow up to four inches in length. PHOTOGRAPH BY JASON ZHU/NYTIMES

Where Do Orchid Mantises Live? – Orchid Mantis Habitat

  • Orchid mantises predominantly occur in Myanmar, Indonesia, Thailand, and Malaysia.
  • They will make habitats in tropical rainforests.

What Do Orchid Mantis Eat? – Orchid Mantis Diet

  • Like all other subspecies, orchid mantis is a carnivore too. The essential items in its diet are insects. The captive specimens like to feed on lepidopteran prey. In the wild orchid mantis can kill prey as large as Dipteran fly.
  • Additionally, the orchid mantis consumes fruit flies, bees, crickets, lizards, turtles, birds, mice, frogs, beetles, and other flies.
  • They can occasionally demonstrate cannibalistic behavior because the male is only half the size of a female.

orchid praying mantisOrchid Mantis Behavior

  • While orchid mantis rarely lingers around the flowers when they starve they do however fancy moving up and down the twigs of the plants. They likely hang on the flower using back legs. Sometimes mantis will crawl from sideways and stays still just to tempt any bug to feed on nectar.
  • Orchid mantis is most likely to be bred in captivity because it makes a pretty popular pet. Therefore, we do not know the breeding behavior of the wild mantis.
  • They are truly masters of camouflage. Orchid mantises mimic flowers not only to seek protection from potential predators—they also employ it to capture bigger prey.

Predators of Orchid Mantis

The female mantises have devised ingenious ways to thwart predators. They do not get into the orchid-like flowers. Instead the female will seek out green vegetation and mimic a flower in order to tempt pollinators such as bees, come right to them. Birds and monkeys which are very fond of consuming insects but not flowers pass them by.

Orchid Praying Mantis – Video

Praying Mantis Meaning – What does it Mean to See a Praying Mantis?

what does it mean when you see a praying mantis
A praying mantis on Yunfeng mountain near Beijing, China Photograph: Adrian Bradshaw/EPA

Praying mantis is probably the only insect that has long been admired for its unorthodox disposition, praying-like posture, and non-human spiritual habits. That’s right non-human spiritual habits. It may seem bizarre to most of you but for some people the praying mantis is more than just a jumping insect. People usually thought of praying mantises as spirit animals one that chooses us and the not the other way round. Even so, a few African tribes regard them as a god. If that is so then perhaps we’ll have to study praying mantis meaning to know what does it mean when you see a praying mantis either in dreams or in real life.

Praying Mantis Meaning – What does it Mean When You See a Praying Mantis? – Mantis Symbolizes Four Most Important Life-changing Things

Praying mantises are pretty infamous for displaying prayer-like postures. Very insignificant as it may first seem, the mantis’ posture symbolizes quite many different things or beliefs. Over time, mantis appears to have acquired the following traits.

  • Strike while the Iron is Hot
  • Peace and Understanding
  • Patience, Balance, and Mindfulness
  • Stillness and Focus

Strike While the Iron is Hot

That’s right, striking at the right moment without putting too much thought especially when the opportunity arises. If you don’t know how to do that you’ve got to learn it from the mantis. Praying mantis does it all too well. They aren’t only careful in launching the final attack to its prey mantises are extremely careful.

If they would be just a little less careful or strike just a moment too soon, they’ll definitely lose the prey. The whole thing implies that you don’t have to or perhaps you don’t need to wait when you see the ideal opportunity right in front of you. All you need to do is to set the timing of your attack. Seize the opportunity and make everything counts because if you won’t then you probably have to struggle to get what you wanted in the first place. It’s all about timing. Striking unnecessarily at the wrong time is going to blow off your opportunities.

Getty Images/PhotoAlto/Odilon Dimier

Peace, Calmness & Understanding

If you fancy living like a praying mantis then you’ll have to bring serenity and an absolute peace of mind in your life. These mantis’ traits likely give you strength to deal with regular stressors. One of the first steps towards achieving your long-term goals is to accept how much stress we have created for ourselves. Like a mantis, you’re required to bring some profound changes in your career and learn to cope with numerous situations no matter how hard they may seem to be.

Patience, Balance, and Mindfulness

Sometimes you see a mantis in your dreams. In that case, your subconscious is possibly telling you to stay calm and bring perseverance in your daily chores. You don’t have to take everything seriously or rushing into decision or action. You must sit and wait for the right opportunity—something mantises are extremely good at. They will hang on to the branches all day long sitting atop grass rock solid without letting their prey noticed them.

Stillness and Focus

A praying mantis doesn’t hit the target unless it knows it can. The two compound eyes of a mantis enable it to have wider but binocular field of vision. However, the mantis can only focus moving objects. Thus, as the prey moves the mantis rotates its head to stare at the prey so consistently that it leaves the unnecessary things in the surroundings. All it could see the prey only. That is what you can learn from the nature’s smartest creature. How many times you’ve heard this expression, ‘If you put your mind to it, you can accomplish anything’. If your mind is preoccupied with too many things then you probably need to focus on relevant things in life.

Praying Mantis Meaning – Video