(Top) male praying mantis (below) female praying mantis. Some other species of mantids, like the flower mantid look different then the praying mantis.
Adult praying mantises are usually a minimum of 3 1/2 inches long. If you want to tell male from female, the female has six segments of her abdomen, and the male has eight (you may only be able to see seven).
Praying mantises are solitary creatures and are strictly carnivores, so they will eat each other. They will also eat tree frogs, moths, grasshoppers, crickets, and beetles (and many more insects), and spiders. Although, the young's first meal is usually another newborn praying mantis. Even if they can attack these things, birds and bats will eat them. They will slowly creep up on the prey, then, at the very right moment, snatch it.
The female will often bite the head off the male while mating (which will not kill him) and sometimes even kill him. The female lays an egg case (or egg sac) in late summer or early fall and the young will hatch in late winter or early spring. She will often not eat 1-3 days before she lays her egg sac.
- Order: Mantodea (the scientific name depends on what species of praying mantis)
- Lifespan: Up to twelve months (one year)
- Their name means: "prophet" or "fortune teller" in Greek
- They get their name because: of their habit of "praying"
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