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- There are nearly 2,000

species of mantids are widely distributed throughout tropical, subtropical, and warm temperate areas of the world. For the most part, they inhabit North and South America, South Africa, Europe, the Southern parts of Asia and some parts of Australia. Praying mantids in North America are usually green or brown. There are three main types of mantids in Eastern United States: the European mantid (Mantis religiosa), Carolina mantid (Stagmomantis carolina) and Chinese mantid (Tenodera aridifolia sinensis).

- The abdomen of the mantis has several segments. The male mantis, which is usually smaller than the female, has eight segments in its abdomen. The female has only six. The female also has a tube called an ovipositor for laying eggs.

- The adult female as the nasty habit of eating her mate after but sometimes during mating.

- Mantids range from less than an inch up to 6 or more inches in length, depending on the species and sex.

- Like all insects the praying mantis has a hard outer casing called an exoskeleton. It is a little like having your bones on the outside. This outer skin cannot stretch so the insect grows on the inside and every so often about every 2 weeks it will need to molt (shed its old skin) It will hang under a leaf or branch and not eat or move much for a couple days as it gets ready for the task of crawling out of its own old skin. It doubles in size each of about 7 times it molts. After molting it will harden, and will begin to feed again in about 8 hours. The last molt is when the adult form gets its full wings and is able to fly.

The Praying Mantis

The Praying Mantis is a bizarre and fascinating creature. It looks like something straight out of a Science Fiction movie, yet every time I see one I am immediately drawn to it. I have had several of them as pets over the years and when my children were young I would encourage them to hold one just so they wouldn’t be so creeped-out by them later in life.

The Mantis almost seems to have an alien intelligence about him. You’ll see what I mean the first time one turns that large triangular head (which swivels 180 degrees to either side) in your direction intent on making eye contact with you. For the most part, they are totally harmless to humans; they make quiet, friendly pets, and are a great addition to any garden, especially if you have trouble with other insect pest. Unfortunately, they have been known to take small frogs, lizards, and even an occasional hummingbird too.

The Praying Mantis counts on camouflage and stealth to find food and keep from becoming prey himself. He is a patient hunter moving very slowly and often not at all for hours on end. However, once an unsuspecting meal comes into range, he can move those spiked forelegs at lighting speed. So fast in fact, the human eye cannot always see it happen.

In my part of the world (Midwest United States) one generation develops each season. In the autumn, the females lay eggs in a large mass or cluster (an inch or so long), in a frothy, gummy substance glued to tree twigs, plant stems and other objects. As the egg case dries, it tends to look like Styrofoam or perhaps parchment paper. Up to 2000 tiny eggs overwinter while tucked safely away in the case. Mantis nymphs emerge from the egg mass in the spring or early summer depending on the weather.

The compound eyes of the Mantis are a work of art. They are capable of stereoscopic vision, allowing the Mantis to accurately gauge distances in the same manner as most mammalian counterparts. Their eyes are so sensitive, they can detect the slightest of movement up to 60 feet away. But there is something even cooler than that!! The faceted nature of this predator’s eye gives the appearance that there is a black pupil staring back at you when in fact there is not. So convincing is this optical illusion, even the camera is fooled. And I can assure you while positioning myself at different angles taking these shots, they seemed to follow me everywhere I'd go. In addition to this curious feature, the entire surface of the eyes change color according to the amount of ambient light - they are light green or tan in sunlight, and chocolate brown at twilight or in low light conditions.