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giraffe-in-a-tree: Eye contact with a Praying Mantis by B℮n on Flickr. Praying mantises are closely related to termites and cockroaches. The word mantis comes from the Greek word mantis meaning prophet or fortune teller. There is a well known myth that the female mantis will eat the male after reproduction. Studies have shown this is not necessarily natural behavior, but the result of being studied in un-natural laboratory conditions. Mantises are masters of camouflage, both to avoid being eaten themselves, and to ambush their prey. The natural lifespan of a mantis in the wild is about 10-12 months. The mantis can lash out at remarkable speed, prey are caught and held securely with grasping, spiked forelegs. Their diet usually consists of living insects, including flies and aphids. Larger mantises have been known to eat small lizards, frogs, birds, snakes, and even rodents. Mantids are found only on land in rainforests, dry forests, undisturbed and second-growth forests. Mantids in general are very harmless critters. They, in general, don’t attack human beings, instead focusing their attacks on prey items. As a matter of fact you can usually handle a wild praying mantis without any concern for a bite.
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giraffe-in-a-tree:

Eye contact with a Praying Mantis by B℮n on Flickr.

Praying mantises are closely related to termites and cockroaches. The word mantis comes from the Greek word mantis meaning prophet or fortune teller. There is a well known myth that the female mantis will eat the male after reproduction. Studies have shown this is not necessarily natural behavior, but the result of being studied in un-natural laboratory conditions. Mantises are masters of camouflage, both to avoid being eaten themselves, and to ambush their prey. The natural lifespan of a mantis in the wild is about 10-12 months. The mantis can lash out at remarkable speed, prey are caught and held securely with grasping, spiked forelegs. Their diet usually consists of living insects, including flies and aphids. Larger mantises have been known to eat small lizards, frogs, birds, snakes, and even rodents.

Mantids are found only on land in rainforests, dry forests, undisturbed and second-growth forests.

Mantids in general are very harmless critters. They, in general, don’t attack human beings, instead focusing their attacks on prey items. As a matter of fact you can usually handle a wild praying mantis without any concern for a bite.

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via Giraffe in a Tree
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  17. spacecadetbird reblogged this from lampfaced and added:
    Wow holy shit I didn’t know that about the cannibalism thing. ANIMAL PLANET LIED TO ME!! ;-;
  18. eartbnd0gsdfj reblogged this from giraffeinatree
  19. lampfaced reblogged this from giraffeinatree and added:
    I have to reblog this because THEY GOT THE SEXUAL CANNIBALISM THING RIGHT. ALONG WITH EVERYTHING ELSE. WOOO I AM WAY TOO...
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