Amazing Nature- Pregnant Praying Mantis

Hi everyone! I found a pregnant Praying Mantis laying on the sidewalk motionless and I was praying that she was not dead. Praying mantises have one ear located in the thorax which is the part of the body between the neck and abdomen. It gives them ultrasonic hearing so if she was just sleeping I knew that the clicks of my camera would wake her up.

There are over 1,800 species worldwide and they range in sizes and color. The most common species found here in the Northeastern part of USA is the European species, (Mantis religiosa) and they are usually green or brown to blend in with the environment. They were introduced to this region approximately 75 years ago to rid the native pest population that were damaging crops.

Most of the females are green and they are always larger than the males by 2-3 inches in length. The norm here is 6-10 inches long for females. Both sexes have wings which are shorter on females, however, only males can fly. The size of the female makes it impossible for her to fly, even when she is not pregnant.

Yay! She was just sleeping. When she woke up she looked straight at me, probably wondering who this crazy woman was and why she was making those clicking sounds.

It is time for her to get up and investigate me. I love to watch them, watching me because they can turn their heads like us humans but they can also do something with their heads that we humans cannot. Due to their flexible neck, they can turn their heads 180 degrees, which is quite freaky.

Now it is time to give you some bad news about the male praying mantises. After mating in autumn, it is not uncommon for the female to eat the male. It has been said that females always do this, but studies have proven that it happens, but not always. The female chops his head off with her strong jaws and eats the brains to give her nymphs a chance to be healthier. Thankfully, the male is killed immediately and it doesn't have to suffer while being eaten alive.

Speaking of eating, let me tell you what praying mantises eat. Adults feast on a variety of insects like grasshoppers, crickets, beetles and spiders. Other species eat mice, lizards, small tree frogs and even hummingbirds. To capture their prey, they sit with their front legs held up together which makes them look like they are praying. then ambush their prey with their front legs that have rows of sharp spines. Once captured, they cannot escape.

She sees a way to escape.

She walks toward the brick wall.

She tells me good-bye or probably good riddance.

"I am going to lay my eggs now."

For this praying mantis species, eggs are laid a couple of days before winter. The female finds a stem and will lay 40-100 eggs in a frothy liquid sack that hardens, protecting the eggs from predators and the harsh, winter weather. The structure is called an 'ootheca'. The female dies after laying her eggs.

In the spring or early summer, the praying mantis nymphs come out of their ootheca. They look just like miniature adults, minus the wings. They are starving and sometimes they eat each other. Many nymphs also become predators prey, especially wasps. It is said that only one-fifth of nymphs become adults.

Praying mantis nymphs feed on aphids, small flies and leafhoppers. They will molt (shed their exoskeletons) 5-6 times during the entire summer before becoming an adult. After the last molt, the adult has wings and is ready to mate. The most common predators of adult praying mantises are bats, large birds, frogs, snakes and spiders if they get caught in their web.

I always say that nature never ceases to amaze me, especially in the insect world. I find praying mantises fascinating for many reasons. Most insects have 4 stages in their lives which are egg, larvae, pupa and adult. The eggs hatch, the larvae look different from the adult, it pupates and becomes a totally different looking insect. Praying mantises look just like miniature adults when they hatch from their eggs and do not pupate; all they do is molt and grow until they become an adult.

Praying mantises have heads in the shape of a triangle and they have 3-D vision. They are the only insects that can turn their head, 180 degrees. From side to side, that is equivalent to a half circle. Humans can only turn their heads 130 degrees. They have one ultrasonic ear which enables them to hear a bat coming, their most common predator. This enables the praying mantis to drop to the ground to avoid becoming bat prey. Isn't nature amazing?!?!

And older nymph.

This is my entry for the Amazing Nature Contest created by @adalger. You can go here to find out how you can enter this amazing contest.

Thanks for stopping by!

All photos are my own.

Information Source: prayingmantis.org, pests.org, justfunfacts.com