Praying mantids are
carnivorous, winged insects, best known for the motionless,
prayer-like pose they assume while hunting their next meal..
There are more than two thousand species of mantids.
Voracious predators,
mantises can turn their heads 180 degrees and see up to
sixty feet away with large compound eyes. Common mantises
can be brown or green in color. This serves as
camouflage for the mantises and also attracts their insect prey
.
One generation develops
each season. Females lay eggs in a large clusters , in a
frothy, gummy substance glued to trees & plant stems .
Over wintering occurs
in the egg stage in this case. Tiny nymphs emerge from
the egg mass in the spring or early summer. The mantis
is the only predator which feeds at night on moths
Most moths are active only after darkness . And the only
predator fast enough to catch mosquitoes and flies.
Tips
Nymphs tend to become cannibalistic and require
separation or isolation in the later stages.
Adults will mate readily in captivity.
