By TammyWhite
6 years ago

PRAYING MANTIS, BEAUTIFUL & LETAL

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The praying mantis is an insect of medium size very recognizable and known for the strange position of its front legs, with which it seems that it is praying. There is a lot of talk about their habits and their behavior, and today we are going to tell you everything you need about this species.

The praying mantis is an insect that measures between 10 and 12 cm long. It has an elongated thorax and two long antennae that come out of the head. The front legs, which always seem to be in a position to pray, have thorns with which they hook their prey. The females are usually a little larger than the males. The color of the praying mantises depends on the medium in which the last shed of skin was made. Its color may vary from green to brown to camouflage. That is, if you move in an area with a lot of grass, it will be green. If the straw abounds, it will be of yellowish or brown tones. Therefore, the mantis camouflages itself very well in its habitat and it is difficult to see it.

One of the characteristics of mantids and the rest of the mantidae species is that they can move their heads 180º to observe also over their backs. Their life expectancy is around one year, and they go through 6 changes to reach adult size. They are born from eggs laid by females (hundreds in each laying), and when they are young, they have the same appearance as an adult mantis, but in a much smaller size. Contrary to what some people believe, the praying mantis is not poisonous or itchy. In addition, it helps control the pests of certain insects in open spaces. So we could say that it is even beneficial to have mantids in our gardens.

The mantis is carnivorous and a predatory patient. He is able to wait for his prey, whom he expects almost immobile and attacks by surprise and quickly. The praying mantises feed, above all, on moths, flies, crickets, grasshoppers ... Although there are testimonies that prove that in case of opportunity, they can hunt and eat amphibians or reptiles, and even small birds. A study states that praying mantises hunt small birds (such as hummingbirds) more often than we think. In addition, they hunt with their powerful front legs, which shoot at a speed imperceptible to the human eye, and with their thorns they catch their prey. Mantis are solitary insects that usually live independently. They only meet to mate, and if two or more males coincide, they will fight to the death. Only the last living can mate. It is known the behavior that some females have of eating the head of the male after mating, but it is a less common behavior than what is believed.

The praying mantis emerged in Europe and Asia, and man introduced it artificially in North America. Today mantis can be found throughout Europe, the upper two thirds of Asia, almost all of North America, and in a couple of locations in central Africa and in the southernmost part of South America. The mantis is a field insect and is found in orchards, grasslands or unhumanized sites in general. It is not an insect that we will find walking around the city. If not, he likes to camouflage himself among the grass, the leaves and the branches of the trees. Only then can he wait for his prey taking advantage of the environment. Despite being a carnivorous insect of a larger size than usual (although in comparison with the insect kingdom it is considered to be medium size), it hunts prey of its size or larger, like birds, the mantids They have become fashionable as pets.

To have a mantis as a pet, you need a terrarium in which you can live. It should not be so big that it can not find its prey, but it should not be so small that it does not have space to move. To feed it, live insects that it can hunt must be supplied. The terrarium should be sprayed every day with fresh water, to maintain a good level of humidity, and so that it can drink the drops of condensed water. You can hunt a praying mantis in a garden or buy eggs at a specialized store. Of course, they must live alone, because if not, they would fight among themselves.


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6 years
remangelo Keep preying
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soncee Gorgeous
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fortune I do not think it's beautiful
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Lucia5 Nice
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haramshi ?
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Violeta Great
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OlgaLifeLover Beautiful beest
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MerimaKa amazing
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Campanita Your Upload is a Super Post
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waflay That is well written.. Now I wait for the story about Dragonflies.
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