Speed is a critical element for ambush predators like the praying mantis (Mantis religiosa). However, speed is only relevant at the very last second. The moments leading up to the fatal strike involve a slow and staggered approach followed by absolute stillness. It also helps that praying mantises have evolved to look uncannily similar to the microhabitats they live in. These master hunters even behave like the parts of a plant they resemble. Their staggered steps make a walking mantis look like a leaf or stem swaying with the breeze. This incredible combination of looking and behaving like a plant makes the mantis perfectly inconspicuous to unsuspecting prey (and potential predators). Once praying mantises are within striking distance of their target, they break their stillness with a lightning-fast strike using their front pair of legs. The spike-studded front legs reach out and grab unsuspecting prey like insects, spiders and sometimes, birds. The precisely timed strike of the mantis has even inspired human cultures. The Northern Praying Mantis is a form of martial arts practised in China that mimics the postures and movements of the praying mantis — the hands of the martial artist mimic the praying mantis’s front limbs.
The highly effective hunting styles of the praying mantis have made them formidable predators in temperate and tropical habitats across the world. Praying mantis species primarily hunt insects, arachnids, and other small invertebrates. As predators that only hunt live prey, praying mantises balance invertebrate populations in the spaces that they live in. In the Americas, some larger species of praying mantises (over 6 cm) hunt small birds like the ruby-throated hummingbird. From mossy logs in dense jungles to flowery shrubs in urban parks, the incredible hunting sequences of the praying mantis are on display for anyone willing to spend the time to look for these masters of camouflage. Once you find a praying mantis, the key to watching them hunt is to remain very still.
In this incredible sequence of images captured by Kallol Mukherjee, a flower mantis sits close to a bunch of blooming flowers — the perfect location to hunt visiting pollinators. The waiting praying mantis maintains an inconspicuous profile, with its two long front limbs tucked in and (1) its green body remaining as still as the plant it sits on. The mantis waits until (2) the tailed jay butterfly has landed on the flower. If it attacks too soon or misjudges the distance, the butterfly will readily fly away, (3) as happened when the praying mantis attempted to attack from further away. However, from its position on the outermost flower, the praying mantis strikes with its two long front limbs and (4) grasps the tailed jay. (5) The powerful front limbs of the mantis then bring the sumptuous catch closer to its mouthparts to be consumed. (6) The body of the butterfly is consumed, and the wings which have little to no nutritional value for the mantis are discarded. Photos: Kallol Mukherjee
Cover photo: Kallol Mukherjee
Like other insects, the praying mantis has six legs. The four hindlegs primarily help with locomotion, and the (1) two front legs are deadly hunting tools crafted by evolution. Aside from being longer than the hindlegs, the front limbs are stalkier and armed with spikes that help the mantis get a powerful grip on its prey. The arms pull the trapped insect closer to the praying mantis’s mouthparts, and four finger-like structures called palps make finer adjustments to bring the meal into the chomping action of the mandibles (jaws). (2) The palps of the violin mantis in this picture are the two appendages covered with whitish hair. The mandibles are slightly less conspicuous as a dull orange line moving parallelly between the palps. The palps and mandibles also come into use for post-meal hygiene when the mantis uses them to groom its front legs. Photos: Hayath Mohammed (1), Jithesh Pai (2)
Cannibalism is a relatively common occurrence in the world of praying mantises. As voracious predators of invertebrates, they do not hesitate to eat other praying mantises if the opportunity presents itself. Here, a large green praying mantis eats the head of a smaller mantis. On the subject of decapitation by mantises, one common misconception is that all female praying mantises bite off the male’s head during mating. In a study entitled “Sexual cannibalism in the praying mantid,” the author examined a wild population of praying mantises and found that the female killed and ate the male in 31 per cent of the cases. Photo: Kallol Mukherjee
In the web of life, predators like the praying mantis are also prey for many animals like birds, insects, and spiders. The huntsman spider can move as fast as one metre per second, quick enough to catch an unsuspecting mantis. (1) Here, a huntsman is suspended on a single line of silk with a small praying mantis firmly gripped within its legs. While spiders, like the huntsman, do not build webs, they use silk to create draglines. Being suspended from a line of silk, the spider minimises the chances of being hunted by another predator while finishing its meal. Even smaller predators come together to hunt praying mantises. When a group of weaver ants act together, they can take down prey several times their size. (2) In this picture, a hunting party carries a luminescent green Neomantis up a tree trunk to their leafy nests in the canopy. Photos: Jithesh Pai (1), Hayath Mohammed (2)
Even before they become adults, young mantises (as eggs and larvae) must contend with several threats to their lives. The life of a praying mantis begins in a silken nursery called an ootheca. (1) Some genera of parasitoid wasps find praying mantis oothecae and lay their eggs inside. Wasp larvae emerge from the eggs and feed on the praying mantis larvae around them in the ootheca. (2) Parasitoid wasps use their long ovipositors to penetrate the soft ootheca and lay their eggs inside. (3) In some cases, parasitoid wasps hitch a ride on the backs of gravid female praying mantises. A strategy that ensures the wasp knows the exact location of the praying mantis’s ootheca. Photos: Jithesh Pai (1,2), Samuel John (3)
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Samuel John
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