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Anatomy
The praying mantis is the Tyrannosaurus Rex of the insect world. It is perfectly adapted for catching insects. It is also a master of disguise. With its green-brown color and long thin body, the praying mantis is camouflaged to look like the plants it lives on. You can look right at it and not see it. Standing completely still with its front legs folded together, it might be praying. Like all insects, the praying mantis has six legs, but its front legs are not used for walking. With its quick front legs, it catches an insect in the blink of an eye. All the legs are attached to its thorax. The four wings are also attached to the thorax. The wings fold over the abdomen and look like a leaf. The abdomen is segmented and contains the mantid's digestive and reproductive organs. Females have six abdominal segments and males have eight. Praying mantids also have one ear on their belly! The ear can only hear very high sounds - ultrasonic sounds. Bats searching for food make ultrasonic sounds. Flying through the air, a praying mantis could easily be caught by a bat. When it hears a bat's ultrasonic sound, the mantid quickly drops to the ground and is safe. |
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