Mantids, the killing machine

Did you Know?

Mantids are carnivorous insects and considered ‘serial killers’ of the insect world.

Found widely in tropical and temperate habitats, mantids are often confused with grasshoppers for their looks. But they have highly modified forelegs. In fact, they are closely related to termites and cockroaches.

They come in various shapes, sizes and colours and are known to mimic leaves, flowers, grass, sticks, leaf litter and ants too. Since they feed largely on insects, they are considered beneficial to farmers. They are known to feed on their siblings too. While mantids are mostly considered ambush predators, a few ground-dwelling species actively pursue their prey. Equipped with large compound eyes, they mainly rely on vision and movement for hunting.

Anand Shikhar Bhat, a young ecologist who wrote a book on mantids when he was just 13, made some interesting observations on mantids. According to him, if its prey stands still then the mantids will eventually lose interest and move on. On the other hand, if you put 'dead' prey on a stick and move it around, then the mantids will catch and eat it. Thus, they use their visual aid very much for predation.

Though mantids feed on insects, attempts to introduce them for pest control has failed as they ended up eating both harmful and useful insects. Some mantids are also reared as pets.

Sexual cannibalism is prevalent in many predatory mantids. Females prefer smaller sized males for mating and after that, it consumes the male. It is not quite clear as to why they do this, but evidently, a male going out on a date ends up being the main course. Thankfully, patriarchy doesn’t prevail in mantids.

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