Hmmm, do they pause to pray before they capture and consume their prey?
I recall vividly the first time I saw a Mantid (or Mantis, as they are now commonly called) when I was a child. I found one on our front porch and thought it was just about the most fascinating creature I had ever seen or could ever hope to see. Flash forward a half century later and I still find this startlingly large inset spellbinding.
What is so special about Mantids?
A Mantid can remain motionless for long periods of time or sway gently back and forth with its head raised and front legs stretched out in what looks to be a position of supplication – hence its nickname Praying Mantis. The ancient Greeks gave it the name Mantis because they believed it had supernatural powers. Its current scientific name Mantid, or soothsayer, also reflects this belief.
What do Mantids look like?
Mantids are spear-shaped with long, gangly jointed legs and an alien-looking, triangular face. They may be bright green or brown which forms an effective camouflage against vegetation. They can grow to fully four inches (10 cm) giving them a fearsome appearance.
How long do they live and where?
Mantids are always found in vegetation – long grass or weeds – where they lay in wait to ambush their prey. They live for six to twelve months. Female Mantids often kill and eat their partner after mating providing nutrition for their offspring! This is known as sexual cannibalism and still puzzles scientists.
Where do they fit in the quilt of nature?
Mantids serve as an effective natural form of insect control feeding on small insects like spiders, mosquitos, crickets and grasshoppers. Although I find it hard to fathom, they can on apparently subdue and consume larger prey such as frogs and hummingbirds.
In turn, they are a food source for larger creatures such as birds, bats and even fish if they happen to fall into the water. Mantids are distributed worldwide in both tropical and temperate climates. There are over 2,400 species of Mantids of which two are found in Ontario.
One more fascinating patch in the quilt of nature stitched together by threads of interdependence and natural balance.
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~ Michael Robert Dyet is also the author of Until the Deep Water Stills – An Internet-enhanced Novel (now out of print) which was a double winner in the Reader Views Literary Awards 2009. Visit Michael’s website at www.mdyetmetaphor.com .
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Tags: Chinese Mantis · European Mantis · Mantid · Mantis · metaphor · Michae Robert Dyet · Nature · Praying MantisNo Comments