The origin of the praying mantis. The most interesting information about the praying mantis insect. Praying mantises are not dangerous to humans
- Type - Arthropods
- Class - Insects
- Squad - Cockroaches
- Suborder - Mantis (Mantodea)
The famous Swedish scientist and traveler Carl Linnaeus scientific name mantis: Mantis religiosa. Mantis in Greek means "prophet", "priest"; religiosa - religious. Why did the praying mantis get this strange name? Look at the photo: the praying mantis looks like a praying mantis. He stands only on four legs out of six, and keeps his forelimbs folded in front of his muzzle, as if he is praying to the Lord.
An engraving by the famous Dutch artist Maurits Escher depicts a praying mantis praying for the remission of the sins of a deceased religious dignitary. The praying mantis really looks like a person: he holds food in his “hands”, washes himself after a meal, can turn around (the only one of all insects!) And stare sharply, just like a person.
But the praying mantis is not at all as pious as it might seem. In fact, a predatory insect is waiting in ambush for a careless victim in order to grab it with a lightning movement.
Mantis is a typical predator
The praying mantis is a typical example of predators lying in wait, or, in other words, an "ambush". For hours he can sit quietly in a secluded place, waiting for prey. Camouflage coloring allows the praying mantis to merge with the vegetation, and even the shape of the body resembles part of the plant. Although it lives among an abundance of greenery, it does not accept plant food. Moreover, the carnivorous insect eats its prey exclusively alive.
Praying mantises are merciless not only to other insects smaller than them in size, which for them is nothing more than a delicious meal, but also to their relatives. This must be known to the one who keeps this aggressive creature as pet. Two or more praying mantises are unlikely to get along together, especially if one is larger than the other in size.
In the Middle Ages in Japan, the praying mantis was considered a symbol of courage and cruelty, and even the image of an insect was applied to the handles of samurai swords. And one of the positions in kung fu repeats the pose of a praying mantis, ready for battle. In addition, in China, they believed that the praying mantis had healing powers and could cure certain diseases. The ancient Greeks considered the praying mantis a messenger of spring and a weather forecaster, they called him a "prophet" and "soothsayer". And in some European countries even today, praying mantises are credited with some magical power. Perhaps this creature, which is the object of superstition, will arouse your interest and you will want to keep it as yours?
Mantises: appearance and structural features
Praying mantises are large insects, and the females are much larger than the males. There are about two thousand species of praying mantis in the world. common praying mantis(lat. Mantis religiosa) has a size of about 6 cm in length. The largest of the praying mantis, the Chinese praying mantis, reaches a length of 15 cm.
The body of praying mantises is elongated, the head is almost triangular, mobile. Large, round, bulging eyes that point slightly forward and down give it a much wider field of vision than a human. And thanks to the extremely flexible neck, the praying mantis can turn its head so that it will notice any creature approaching it from behind. The mouth is well developed and equipped with biting jaws or a sucking proboscis.
Among praying mantises there are both winged and wingless ones. In winged insects, both pairs of wings are well developed. The forewings are narrower than the hindwings and more dense. Wide membranous hindwings are folded in a fan when at rest and covered with elytra. I must say that the wings for their intended purpose, i.e. for flight, the praying mantis rarely uses. Rather, he needs them to intimidate prey, as well as enemies.
The body structure of the praying mantis indicates that the insect is well adapted to predatory image life. The abdomen is ten-segmented, soft and flattened, with numerous long outgrowths - cerci (they serve as organs of smell). The long thigh is seated along the lower edge with three rows of strong spikes. The lower leg also has 3 rows of pronounced spines along the lower edge. The femur and shin that are folded together form a powerful grasping apparatus that acts like scissors.
Praying mantis is a master of camouflage
Some types of praying mantises are green in color, so they are difficult to notice among the grass and foliage, others can cast a pinkish tint, as a result, they merge with the flower petals. And, for example, the Indian praying mantis has a brown tint and looks like just a fallen leaf on the ground.
The body shape of the praying mantis and various camouflage colors allow the insect to merge with plants, which makes it almost invisible to both potential victims and enemies. The praying mantis itself can also become a victim of more large predators(birds, lizards). To protect against enemies, the praying mantis has a number of protective devices.
So, the camouflage color makes the praying mantis hiding in the grass almost invisible. Gives out insect movement. Under normal circumstances, the praying mantis moves very slowly, but in danger it can quickly crawl into cover. With a clear threat, the insect visually enlarges the area of its body, opening its wings, and begins to sway from side to side, trying its best to scare away the enemy. With front legs with sharp spikes, the insect tries to hit the enemy.
The summer of 2016 will be remembered by Muscovites not only for heavy rains, but also for the fact that on the streets big city praying mantises suddenly appeared. Green insects, which were previously not found in the capital, can now be seen everywhere.
“This is due to warming, an increase in air temperature. Remember what the weather was like recently. But the heat is more than suitable for them. And in principle, they also appear in other places where they were not there before - more and more praying mantises can be found in the north. The area is shifting, and this is the result of gradual climate change, ”said AiF.ru candidate of biological sciences, associate professor, entomologist Yuri Gninenko.
1. The praying mantis was so named because of the structure of the legs.
Praying mantis got its name thanks to the Swedish naturalist Carl Linnaeus. When this learned man saw the insect, it seemed to him that it was communicating with the Lord. The fact is that the insect folded its forelimbs like the believers fasten their hands in prayer. And the insect shakes its head, as if muttering something. Therefore, Linnaeus decided to call his "discovery" Mantis religiosa, that is, "religious prophet." In the Russian tradition, the insect began to be called the praying mantis.
Photo: Commons.wikimedia.org / Premysl Malek
2. The female praying mantis bites off the male's head.
The female praying mantises are much larger than the males. In 50% of cases, they eat males after mating. At the same time, sometimes the female bites off the head of her gentleman right during intercourse, which, however, does not prevent him from successfully completing sexual intercourse. This behavior of young ladies is due to the fact that at an early stage of egg development they need a lot of protein. And the male is just the closest and most reliable source of it.
3. Praying mantis eggs are not afraid of either frost or pesticides.
Praying mantises lay their eggs in special protective capsules called ootheca. They are a complex protein material that will allow insect offspring to survive not only under extremely low temperatures but also under the influence of pesticides. In some cultures around the world, praying mantis eggs are used as natural remedies to increase male potency.
4. Mantises are predators.
Praying mantises feed exclusively on living food - they need it to spin and resist. They mainly prey on insect pests. So praying mantises help us save the harvest. However, a really hungry insect is not very picky and can also attack frogs, lizards, snakes, mice, etc.
5. Praying mantises are excellent camouflage.
Praying mantises are masters of disguise. Depending on the environment They can be either green or brown. Therefore, it is extremely difficult to see praying mantises among the foliage or on the bark of a tree. With each molt, these insects acquire a color that will best match nature. It is extremely difficult for the victim to see praying mantises in time, as they may not move for hours, but they are the only ones among insects that have the ability to rotate their heads in different directions and even look over their shoulders.
6. Mantises are not dangerous to humans.
Praying mantises are often kept as pets and are not dangerous to humans. However, it is not recommended to specifically tease and annoy the insect - after all, it is a predator. If he decides that you are a danger to him, then he may well bite. The bite, of course, will be non-lethal, but very painful.
7. In honor of the praying mantis, one of the fighting styles was named.
In Chinese wushu, the most popular style is the praying mantis style. Once a legendary martial arts teacher Wang Lang created this very simple and efficient technique, based on his observations of how a praying mantis attacks a cicada. The latter, although outnumbered by the attacker in size, nevertheless turned out to be completely helpless in front of his quick and accurate movements.
mantis insect many scientists and researchers in the recent past attributed to the same family due to a number of similar elements in the structure of the wings and body.
However, to date, official science has refuted this conjecture and these insects are classified as separate species, which has its own specific features and habits.
The detachment was named so - "praying mantis", and at the moment about two and a half thousand varieties belong to it.
About praying mantis it can be unequivocally said that a rare other insect is able to compete with it in terms of the number of references in the mythologies of various peoples of the world.
For example, among the ancient Chinese, the praying mantis was associated with stubbornness and greed, among the Greeks it was believed that he had the ability to predict the weather and was the herald of spring.
The Bushmen were sure that the image of the praying mantis is directly related to cunning and resourcefulness, and the Turks - that he always points with his limbs directly in the direction of sacred Mecca.
Asians often gave their offspring fried eggs an insect to get rid of such an unpleasant ailment as enuresis, and the Europeans noticed the similarity of the praying mantis with monks reciting prayers and awarded it the name Mantis religiosa.
Mantis large insect, its dimensions can exceed 10-12 cm
Features and habitat
By description of the praying mantis insect you can see that it is quite large, and the length of its body can reach ten centimeters or more.
The typical color characteristic of these insects is white-yellow or green. However, it varies greatly depending on habitat and time of year.
Due to the natural ability to mimicry, the colors of the insect can exactly repeat the color of stones, branches, trees and grass, so if the praying mantis is stationary, it is very difficult to recognize it with the naked eye among the stormy landscape.
Head triangular shape highly mobile (rotates 180 degrees) and connects directly to the chest. Usually on the paws you can see a small dark spot.
The insect has incredibly developed forepaws, which have rather powerful sharp spikes, with the help of which it, in fact, can grab its prey for further eating.
The praying mantis has four wings, two of which are dense and narrow, and the other two are thin and wide and can open like a fan.
In the photo, the praying mantis spread its wings
The habitat of the praying mantis is a vast territory, which includes the countries of Southern Europe, the Front and Central Asia, Australia, Belarus, Tatarstan, as well as numerous steppe regions.
In the USA, this insect got on ships and merchant ships, where it inhabited the decks like cockroaches and.
Insofar as a sign of a praying mantis is an increased thermophilicity, it can easily be found in the zone of the tropics and subtropics, where it inhabits not only moist forests but also rocky areas such as deserts.
The nature and lifestyle of the praying mantis
The praying mantis prefers to lead a lifestyle that is far from nomadic, that is, settling in the same area for a long time.
In the event that there is enough food around, he can literally not leave the limits of one single plant or tree branch throughout his life.
Despite the fact that these insects can fly quite tolerably and have two pairs of wings, they use them infrequently, preferring to move around with their long limbs.
Mostly males fly and only at night, making flights from branch to branch or from bush to bush.
They can also move from tier to tier, and you can meet them at the foot of tall tree, and at the top of its crown.
Most The praying mantis spends time in one position (highly raising his front paws), for which, in fact, he got his name.
Praying mantis in the pose for which he got his name
Indeed, looking at it from the side, it may seem that the insect is praying, but in fact it is busy guarding its future prey.
Despite the fact that the praying mantis has well-developed limbs and wings, it quite often becomes the prey of various birds, since it is extremely bad for him to run away from the aggressor.
Perhaps it is for this reason that the insect tries to move as little as possible during daylight hours, preferring to merge with the surrounding vegetation.
Although cockroaches are mantis-like insects, you can see that their habits are very different, especially since the praying mantis rarely strays into large flocks.
Praying mantis food
Mantis is a predatory insect, therefore, he feeds, respectively, on insects, such as bugs, cockroaches and. Occasionally, even small lizards, frogs, birds and some small rodents become its prey.
The appetite of these insects is very good, and literally in a matter of months one individual is able to eat several thousand insects of various sizes from grasshopper to aphids. In some cases, a praying mantis can even encroach on animals with a spine.
Cannibalism, that is, eating relatives, is also characteristic of praying mantises. For example, it often happens that female praying mantis eats male immediately after the mating process, but sometimes she can eat him without waiting for the end of love pleasures.
To prevent this from happening male praying mantis forced to perform a kind of “dance”, thanks to which the female is able to distinguish him from prey and thereby leave him alive.
On the picture mating dance praying mantis
The praying mantis can sit motionless for a long time, merging with the surrounding vegetation, waiting for its prey.
When an unsuspecting or animal approaches the praying mantis, he makes a sharp throw and grabs the victim with the help of forelimbs with dangerous spikes.
With the same paws, the praying mantis brings the prey directly to the mouth and begins to absorb it. It should be noted that the jaws of these insects are surprisingly well developed, so that it can easily “grind” not very large rodent or a medium sized frog.
If the potential prey is quite large, the praying mantis prefers to approach it from the back, and approaching it at a close distance makes a sharp lunge to capture it.
In general, small insects are considered the main diet of this insect; it can start hunting for lizards and mice, being extremely hungry. In this case, from a hunter, he can easily turn into a victim.
Reproduction and lifespan
Praying mantis mating in conditions wildlife usually occurs from late summer to early autumn.
Males, using their own sense of smell, begin to intensively move around the habitat in search of females.
Contrary to established stereotypes, the female does not always eat the male after the mating process. This only applies to certain varieties.
Those representatives of praying mantises who live in more northern latitudes, it is necessary to cool the air temperature in order for the eggs to begin to hatch. For one laying, the female can bring about two hundred eggs.
Praying mantises are often planted at home by insect lovers. If you want to buy yourself a similar copy, you can easily find mantis photo with prices online. The life expectancy of this insect is about six months.
The praying mantis is perhaps one of the most amazing and strange insects on our planet, both in its habits and way of life, some features of which can slightly (or even strongly) shock us people. Yes, we are talking about the famous mating habits of praying mantises, when the female praying mantis after the mating process (and sometimes right during the process) eats her unlucky cavalier. But, of course, praying mantises are not only remarkable for this, and in our today's article we will tell you about all aspects of the life of these unusual insects.
Origin of the name praying mantis
The academic name for the praying mantis back in 1758 was given by the great Swedish naturalist Karl Liney, who drew attention to the fact that the pose of the praying mantis, which is in ambush and guarding prey, is very similar to the pose of a man who folded his hands in prayer to God. Because of such a striking similarity, the scientist gave the insect Latin name“Mantis religiosa”, which literally translates as “religious priest”, the name “praying mantis” itself came into our language.
Although it is not called so everywhere, our hero also has other, by no means so blissful names, for example, in Spain they call him Caballito del Diablo - the devil's horse or simply - muerte - death. Such creepy names are obviously associated with no less creepy habits of praying mantises.
What does a praying mantis look like: structure and characteristics
The structure of the praying mantis is characterized by an elongated body, which distinguishes it from other arthropod insects.
The praying mantis is perhaps the only living creature that can easily turn its triangular-shaped head 360 degrees. Thanks to such a useful skill, he can see the enemy approaching from behind. He also has only one ear, but, despite this, just excellent hearing.
The praying mantis eyes of a complex faceted structure are located on the sides of the head, but in addition to them, our hero has three more simple eyes above the base of the antennae.
The antennae of praying mantises are comb-like, feathery or filiform, depending on the species of the insect.
Praying mantises, almost all of their species, have well-developed wings, but mostly only males can fly, females, by virtue of their more weight and size, it is more difficult to fly than males. Praying mantis wings consist of two pairs: anterior and posterior, the anterior ones serve as a kind of elytra protecting the hindwings. Also, pilgrimage wings usually have bright colours, and sometimes they even meet original drawings. But among the many varieties of praying mantises, there is such an earthen praying mantis (the Latin name is Geomantis larvoides), which does not have wings at all.
Praying mantises have well-developed forelimbs, which have a rather complicated structure - each of them consists of many parts: trochanters, thighs, shins and legs. From the bottom of the thigh there are large sharp spikes arranged in three rows. There are also spikes (albeit smaller ones) on the praying mantis shin, which is adorned with a sharp, needle-shaped hook at the end. See the picture for an exemplary structure of the praying mantis foot.
Praying mantises keep their prey just between the thigh and lower leg until their meal is over.
Praying mantises have a primitive circulation, but there is a reason for this - an unusual respiratory system. the praying mantis is supplied with a complex system of tracheae connected to dichals (stigmas) on the abdomen in the middle and posterior parts of the body. The trachea contains air sacs that enhance ventilation throughout the respiratory system.
Praying mantis sizes
We have already mentioned above that the female praying mantises are much larger than the males, oddly enough, this is their main sexual difference.
A species of praying mantis, called in Latin Ischnomantis gigas and living in Africa, can reach 17 cm in length, perhaps this representative of the praying kingdom is a real champion in size.
Ischnomantis gigas is the largest praying mantis in the world.
Heterochaeta orientalis or Heterochaeta orientalis is a little inferior to him, it reaches 16 cm in length. Ordinary praying mantises are much smaller, on average no more than 0.5-1.5 cm in length.
praying mantis color
Like many other insects, praying mantises have excellent camouflage abilities, this biological way protection from predators, because of this, their colors have, depending on the environment, green, yellow and brown tones. Green mantises live on green leaves, while brown ones are inseparable from the bark of trees.
What does the praying mantis eat
It's no secret that our hero is a notorious predator who loves to eat like more small insects, and not afraid to attack prey larger than even himself. They eat flies, wasps, bumblebees, beetles, etc. Large representatives of the praying family (see above) can even attack small rodents, birds and small amphibians: frogs,.
Praying mantises usually attack from an ambush, suddenly grab the prey with their front paws and do not let go until they are completely eaten. strong jaws allow these gluttons to eat even relatively large prey.
Mantid Enemies
Although praying mantises are excellent predatory hunters, they themselves can also become prey for snakes, some birds, or bats. But the main enemies of praying mantises, perhaps, are their own relatives - other praying mantises. There are often life-and-death fights between two rival praying mantises. The fights themselves, both between praying mantises and with other insects, are very spectacular, first of all, the praying mantis seeks to scare the opponent, for this he takes a special frightening pose - throws his front paws forward and lifts his belly up. All this may be accompanied by appropriate threatening sounds. Such a show of strength is by no means feigned, praying mantises are desperately brave and with courage rush even at a much larger opponent. Thanks to such courage and bravery, praying mantises often emerge victorious from such fights.
Where does the praying mantis live
Almost everywhere, since their habitat is very wide: Central and Southern Europe, Asia, North and South America, Africa, Australia. They are not only in northern regions, since praying mantises are not very accustomed to the cold. But they are great, for example, hot and humid climate tropical Africa and South America. Praying mantises feel great in tropical forests, and in the steppe regions, and in stony deserts.
They rarely move from place to place, preferring their usual habitat to unknown distant places, the only reason that can encourage them to travel is the lack of food supply.
Types of praying mantises: photos and names
Scientists have estimated about 2000 various kinds praying mantises, we, unfortunately, will not be able to bring them all in our article, but we will describe, in our opinion, the most interesting representatives.
Mantis common lives in most countries of Europe, Asia, Africa. The common praying mantis is a very large representative of the praying kingdom, reaching up to 7 cm (female) and 6 cm (male). As a rule, they are green or brown in color, the wings are well developed, at least it is not a problem for the common praying mantis to fly from branch to branch. Abdomen ovoid. This type of praying mantis can be distinguished by a black spot, which is located on the coxae of the front pair of legs from the inside.
Obviously, China is the birthplace and main habitat of this species of praying mantis. The Chinese praying mantis is quite large, females reach up to 15 cm in length, but the size of males is much more modest. have green and brown colors. A characteristic difference chinese praying mantis is their night image life, while their other relatives still sleep at night. Also, young individuals of Chinese praying mantises do not have wings, which grow only after several molts, at the same time they acquire the ability to fly.
The praying mantis Creobroter meleagris lives in southwest Asia: India, Vietnam, Cambodia and a number of other countries. Usually reach 5 cm in length. The colors are white and cream. You can recognize them by the light brown stripes that run throughout the body and head. Also on the wings they have one small and a large spot of white or cream color.
He is also a praying mantis Creobroter gemmatus especially loves wet forests. south india, Vietnam and other Asian countries. This species is small, females grow up to only 40 mm, males up to 38 mm. The body is more elongated than that of other relatives. And for additional protection, on the thighs of the Indian praying mantis there are special spikes different heights. Cream colored. Representatives of this species excellent fliers, and both males and females, due to their low weight, besides, both pairs of wings are well developed. Interestingly, on the front wings they have a spot similar to an eye with two pupils, which scares off predators. Flower mantises live, as their names imply, in the flowers of plants, where they guard their prey.
He is the praying mantis Pseudocreobotra wahlbergii lives in the countries of southern and East Africa. In terms of lifestyle, size, it is very similar to the Indian flower mantis. But its coloring is especially interesting - it is really artistic, on the upper pair of wings there is an interesting pattern resembling a spiral or even an eye. On the abdomen of this species there are additional spines that gave it its name.
Orchid praying mantis - in our opinion is the most beautiful representatives of the praying mantis in the world. It also received its name not casually, namely for resemblance with beautiful orchids, on which he actually hides in ambush in anticipation of the next victim. females orchid praying mantis exactly twice as many males: 80 mm versus 40. And even among other praying mantises, orchid mantises are distinguished by amazing courage, representatives of this species are not afraid to attack even insects that are twice their size.
Oriental heterochaete or spiky-eyed mantis is one of the largest mantises in the world (the female reaches 15 cm in length) and lives in most of Africa. These praying mantises live in the branches of bushes, for their benefit appearance also resembles twigs.
Mantis breeding
And here we move on to the most interesting part, namely the reproduction of mantises, which, as a rule, has a sad and tragic end for males. But let's not get ahead of ourselves, but let's start in order. Male praying mantises advancing mating season(usually in autumn), with the help of charm organs, they begin to search for females ready to mate. Having found one, he performs a special “marriage dance” in front of her, transferring him to the rank of a sexual partner. Then the mating process itself begins, during which the female praying mantis has a bad habit of biting off her male's head and then completely eating him. Some scientists believe that such behavior, which is more than terrible in our opinion, also has its own biological reasons - having eaten her “groom”, the female, in such a simple way, replenishes the reserves of protein nutrients necessary for future offspring.
Although it also happens that the male manages to get away from his “beloved” in time than to avoid the sad fate of food.
After some time, the fertilized female lays eggs, at the same time enveloping them with a special sticky secret that is secreted by their special glands. This secret serves as a kind of protective capsule for the eggs of future praying mantises and is called ootheca. The fertility of the female depends on her species, usually the female is able to lay from 10 to 400 eggs at a time.
Praying mantis larvae stay in the eggs from three weeks to six months, after which they crawl out of the eggs. Further them development is underway at a fairly fast pace and after about 4-8 molts, the larva is already reborn into an adult praying mantis.
Keeping praying mantises at home
Terrarium
A very exotic and unusual act would be to get yourself house praying mantis, is not it? However, there are people who have such “pets” and if you want to join them too, then the first thing you have to take care of is the terrarium. A relatively small, glass or plastic terrarium with a mesh cover is suitable, its dimensions should be at least three times the size of the praying mantis itself. Inside it would be nice to place twigs or small plants on which the praying mantis will climb like trees.
Temperature
Praying mantises are thermophilic insects, so optimal temperature for them it will be from +23 to +30 C. You can use special heaters for terrariums.
Humidity
Also, do not forget about humidity, which is also important for these insects. The optimal humidity for praying mantises is 40-60%, and to maintain it, you can put a small container of water inside the terrarium.
How to feed praying mantises at home
Living food. Perfect fit, grasshoppers, cockroaches, flies. Some species of praying mantis will not mind eating ants. And with all this, they need to be fed regularly, so keeping such “pets” can be somewhat troublesome. But praying mantises do not need to be watered, since they get the fluid they need from food.
- One of the styles of Chinese wushu martial arts is named after the praying mantis, according to legend, this style was invented by a Chinese peasant watching the hunting of praying mantises.
- In the Soviet Union at one time they wanted to industrially use praying mantises as biological protection from agricultural pests. True, this idea had to be abandoned, since the praying mantises also ate beneficial insects, the same bees.
- Since ancient times, praying mantises were frequent heroes different myths and legends among African and Asian peoples, for example in China, they personified stubbornness and greed, and the ancient Greeks attributed to them the ability to predict the onset of spring.
Mantis - an insect from another planet, video
And in conclusion, we bring to your attention an interesting popular science film about praying mantises.
At first glance, the praying mantis is an absolutely harmless insect. Fragile, thin, imperceptible in the grass and on the branches of trees. But not what it seems. First of all, it is almost clear to everyone that he was named so because of the prayerfully folded front legs. It can sit in its posture for hours, but don't be fooled, the mantis insect is a formidable predator. He attacks victims much larger than himself. Mantis fights with large spiders and even with snakes are known! Involuntarily, you will wonder if people made a mistake with the name?
Compared with relatives, this is a rather large representative of its class. Individual individuals can reach 76 millimeters in length and even more. Females are usually larger than males. If the size is the same, then it is rather difficult to determine the sex of individuals before adulthood.
They mimic beautifully. There are species that are very similar to flowers, others can easily get lost in the leaves, and all with one goal - to lie in wait for a suitable victim! They are completely harmless to humans. The only way, which a praying mantis insect can harm a person - scratch a finger with the jagged edges of the front paws, if you take it carelessly.
People who see them for the first time simply do not believe at first that this is a creature. earthly origin. His appearance and his whole alien appearance are very unusual. And, of course, it is very difficult to realize that this is a formidable predator. It is not always possible to clearly distinguish the appearance of such a small creature as a praying mantis. An insect (its photo can bewitch anyone) seems to be dancing a strange ritual dance.
Some people even keep them at home as they are not too difficult to care for. The insect will need to change housing several times. At first, a package of yogurt is fine, but later you will have to find a bigger "apartment" for him. Throughout life, the mantis insect sheds its skin, increasing in size.
We must not forget to feed him on time, and also in his dwelling there should always be branches on which he can hang, this is especially important during periods of molting. But he does not need to drink - it is only necessary to provide sufficient humidity.
If it is decided to breed individuals of different sexes, then, firstly, it is necessary to prepare a voluminous cage, and secondly, a sufficient amount of food. Otherwise, the larger female may eat the male after mating. It can happen immediately, as soon as the individuals are together or within a few days. After the end of the mating period, the male must be resettled again.
In due time, the female lays from 30 to 300 eggs, from which new individuals hatch in a few months. To prevent cannibalism among newborns, you need to put them in a large container with large quantity hidden corners and live food. After the second or third molt, they all need to be seated.
The praying mantis insect, unlike most of its counterparts, has a number of unique skills. In addition to excellent mimicry abilities, he can turn his head almost 180 degrees in different directions and even look over his shoulder. By the way, females, unlike males, cannot fly, although representatives of both sexes have wings. They are just too heavy to fly.