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Fun Facts
• There are 2,000 species of praying mantids worldwide. Most live in tropical climates. • Mantis comes from an Ancient Greek word for prophet or seer. • The Chinese praying mantis came to North America in 1895 with a shipment of nursery plants sent to Philadelphia, PA. Today it is found from coast to coast. • Tropical praying mantids are known to catch and eat reptiles and small birds. They are a little larger than North American mantids. • The praying mantis has five eyes. Two large compound eyes give the mantid stereoscopic vision. Three simple eyes or ocelli are located between the compound eyes and help the mantid see light and dark. • Eighty-five percent of the time the mantid captures its prey. That's an efficient hunter! • The praying mantis is the only insect predator that is fast enough to catch mosquitoes and flies. • If a leg is broken, the praying mantis can regenerate it during the molting process. Once it is an adult, it loses this ability. • Before striking, the mantis will sway or rock back and forth. Scientists disagree about why. Some believe it is mimicking the movement of leaves in the wind. Others think that swaying helps the mantis focus its eyesight. • Many people believe that the female praying mantis always bites the head off her mate, BUT it's not true. It happens more in captivity, and even then she eats her mate only 15% of the time. The male can complete fertilization without his head. • In China, you can get a prescription of ground praying mantis ootheca to cure asthma, warts or bedwetting. • In France, it's believed that if you are lost the praying mantis points the way home. • In Arab countries, people believe that the mantis always prays facing Mecca, a sacred city of Islam. • In Africa, when a praying mantis lands on a person it means good luck. Mantids can also bring the dead back to life. • In Southeast Asia, some species of praying mantis look like flowers. They are colored pink and white. • Plum Blossom Praying Mantis Boxing is a style of kungfu. Founded by Wang Lang, the style was inspired by watching the quickness and patience of fighting praying mantids. |
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