Praying Mantises

Hi everybody! Lola reporting. Right now it is Spring! As you may all know, in spring lots of baby animals are born. A couple of months back, (in winter) a praying mantis layed eggs next to my English teacher's class room. Personally, I think it looked really disgusting. Look at the picture and see for yourself.

Eugh...

What did you think about it? Write your opinion in the comments section.

So anyway, in general, I like praying mantises other than when they lay their eggs. Below are some facts about praying mantises. 

Praying Mantis (Genus Matodea)

Mantises mainly hunt insects, but large species of mantises are know to prey on scorpions, birds, snakes and even rodents!! But why anyone would want to eat a rodent is beyond me ...

They camouflage themselves to look like living or withered leaves, sticks, tree bark, blades of grass, flowers, or even stones.

Eggs are typically deposited in a frothy mass that is produced by a gland in the abdomen. This froth then hardens, creating a protective capsule. The protective capsule and egg mass is called an ootheca. Depending on the species, the ootheca can be attached to a flat surface,wrapped around a plant or even deposited in the ground. (The ootheca I saw was attached to a wall.) Despite the versatility and durability of the egg, they are often preyed on, especially by a species of parasitic wasps. In a few species, the mother guards the eggs. 

Babies have hatched!

As some of you may know, female praying mantises are known for cannibalizing their mates. It depends on whether the female is hungry or not. Hungry females are more likely to eat their mates.

Now you can look forward to reading about lots of more interesting stuff about tons of more animals written by my fellow bloggers!

If you have any questions email : eslwpenvironment@gmail.com


Some information has come from Wikipedia.