Praying Mantis Kerian

The scientific name for a praying mantis is mantis religliosa. Their size is between 5-13 cms long. The colour of a praying mantis is mainly green or brown but this depends on its habitat.

Praying mantises live all around the world, especially Africa, Asia, N.Z., Europe and the United States of America. They choose the places they live in, these are mainly forests, tropical forests and there are even some who live in orchids too.

The life cycle of a praying mantis starts with an egg the eggs are laid by a female Praying mantis just before winter. They need to be hidden from predators. It takes the eggs take until summer to hatch. When they hatch they are nymphs, they look like little adults they moult 6-7 times. At the end of summer they are fully grown and ready to mate. After mating the female rips the males head off.

Mantises love to eat live insects like moths, roaches and bees. The bugs that love to eat this Praying Mantis are female praying mantises and sometimes spiders. They are also eaten by frogs and birds.

The praying mantis gets its name from its front legs looks like it's legs are praying. After mating the female rips the males head off. There are more than 100 different species of mantis. It catches it's prey with it’s front legs, it is an ambush predator.