Origin of the praying mantis. Interesting and shocking facts about praying mantises. Why is the praying mantis called that?

There are over 2 thousand species of these insects in the world. And on the territory of our region there lives only one - the common mantis.

This predator is not at all as pious as it might seem. Sitting in ambush for hours in a humble pose, he, like a seasoned special forces soldier, blends in with the vegetation. Fortunately, the natural color allows him to do this without special training. And at the right moment, the praying mantis grabs its victim with lightning speed and gnaws it alive.

As explained by the professor of the Department of Biology of BelSU Alexander Prisny, the praying mantis is the cockroach's closest relative. But unlike him, he is not content with garbage. He lives not in apartments, but in meadows and steppes. And it’s larger in size: the local specimen reaches 6 cm in length, and the Chinese one is twice as large.

The praying mantis is widespread on all continents. But there are very few representatives of some species left, so they are listed in the Red Book.

Scare the size

The green, also known as common, mantis often imitates grass, making it difficult to see. Large bulging eyes provide great review. A fly, a wasp or a butterfly gapes, and he has already noticed it. The head is triangular, the neck is so flexible that it can turn back, like an owl.

These awkward predators are terribly gluttonous. Always Ready to attack forces them to hold their front legs with tenacious spikes, like scissors. They eat everything from aphids to beetles. Females are not afraid to grab prey much larger than themselves, such as a frog.

Some species have wings, but more often they use them to intimidate enemies. And the praying mantis has many enemies.

Photo from pixabay.com

“Young individuals can be eaten by predatory beetles (ground beetles), spiders, and lizards. Adults include some birds, for example, shrikes,” says Prisny.

The trick of the praying mantis is not to run away, but to scare the enemy. When he is attacked, he tries to visually become larger. To do this, it sharply throws out its wings and hisses, swaying from side to side.

Deadly Lover

A plot that could be used for a horror movie is commonplace for praying mantises. They mate only once. The female is always larger than her suitor. And this fatal lady will most likely not only break his heart, but also bite off his head. Right during the action.

“She eats it if she’s hungry,” explains the professor. – This food is used for the development of eggs and the formation of the egg capsule. Simply put, for procreation.”

Scientists believe that the female praying mantis is inclined to cannibalism by an overwhelming amount of sex hormones. Here the gentleman is also exhausted and cannot resist... And for further development in ooteca (form of laying) eggs is required a large number of squirrel.

Having chosen the lady of his heart, the future father sneaks up on her from behind for several hours. And then he tries to quickly leave the place of the orgy in order to avoid being a snack. The likelihood of losing your head is reduced if the chosen one before starting love games ate heavily. But the paradox is that only a hungry female releases a huge amount of attractive pheromones. It is for such fragrant ladies that mantises arrange real duels not for life, but for death. True, their lifespan is already short - these insects live on average about a year.

Is it possible to keep praying mantises at home?

IN Lately It has become fashionable to keep praying mantises in terrariums. They are practically safe for people - only a large female can bite through human skin.

“It’s better to have males. And in the second half of September and in October, when the breeding season is over,” advises Prisny.

You will have to feed your pet only live and twitching food. Crickets, grasshoppers, cockroaches, and flies are perfect. He will definitely eat his neighbors less than himself. It is also not worth housing two males together.

It is believed that praying mantises are field orderlies. In the Soviet Union at one time they wanted to use them industrially as biological protection from pests of agricultural plants. True, this idea had to be abandoned, because the praying mantises ate and beneficial insects, the same bees. In the USA and Asian countries they are still kept in homes to control flies.

Some peoples believed that by frightening a praying mantis, a person would shorten his life. It was believed that his bite would save him from warts, and he himself was able to predict the future and show the way: the insect should extend its upper leg in the direction in which it should go.

The ancient Greeks attributed to him the ability to predict the coming of spring. And in Rome, if anyone fell ill, they told him: “It was the praying mantis who looked at you.”.

The praying mantis played a cult role: its image was found on a Proserpine coin from Metapontus, next to the sacred ear of the Eleusinian mysteries.

In an engraving by the famous Dutch artist Mauritsa Escher depicts a praying mantis praying for the remission of sins of a deceased religious dignitary.

Mantis is the name given to one of the styles of Chinese martial arts, Wushu. It was invented by a Chinese peasant who watched a predator hunt.

Anna Morozova

Mantises can be considered one of the most interesting creatures on our planet. These creatures are similar in appearance to guests from other galaxies. The lifestyle of insects also amazes and surprises people. Female praying mantises eat males immediately after mating games, however, this is also not the most remarkable feature of mantises.

origin of name

The name praying mantis, established academically, first appeared in 1758. The insects were so named by the Swedish naturalist Carl Linnaeus. He observed the insects and made an interesting remark that they looked like people diligently praying to God. Indeed, the forelimbs of praying mantises seem to be folded in constant prayer. The insect was nicknamed " Mantis religiosa", which translated from Latin means "religious priest." In the Russian interpretation, the name “mantis” has taken root.

At the same time, the insect is not called a praying mantis in all corners of the planet. Mystical meanings are often attributed to praying mantises. In Spain, for example, the praying mantis is associated with death and is nicknamed the devil's horse. Such names can be associated with the cruel habits of mantises, which terrify people.

Where does the praying mantis live?

Praying mantises are distributed throughout the planet. They are in Europe, Asia, Africa and America. A wide variety of mantises have been recorded in Asian countries. A few species can be found in the CIS countries. Insects were also imported into Australia and North America where they were able to take root.

Praying mantises live in tropical and subtropical areas:

• In wet rain tropical forests.
• In hot deserts, where the merciless sun constantly bakes.
• In meadows and steppes, completely covered with thick grass.

Related materials:

Wolverine - description, lifestyle, habitat, nutrition, reproduction, photos and videos

By nature, mantises are thermophilic. It's hard for them to bear low temperatures. Now in Russia you can find real invasions of praying mantises migrating from other countries. They are looking for food and new habitats.

Such migrations occur very rarely. Praying mantises prefer to live in already inhabited territories. They will stay in the same tree throughout their lives, as long as there is food there. Insect movements are observed mainly in mating season, when territories are impoverished and in danger.

Character and lifestyle

Absolutely all praying mantises prefer to conduct their activities during the day. They do not run away from their natural enemies. Nature has endowed praying mantises defense mechanism– in times of danger, they turn to face the enemy, spread their wings and scream loudly. The sounds made by the insect are very loud and disgusting. They even scare people away.

Why does a female praying mantis eat her husband?

During mating games, a female can eat her partner, confusing him with a potential victim. Also, females eat males for the reason that a lot of protein is required to bear offspring. In this case, not only partners are attacked, but also other representatives of the species.

Before mating, the male dances in front of his partner, releasing an odorous substance. The smell indicates that the insect belongs to the same genus. Sometimes the female may not eat the male, but this happens very rarely. First, the gentleman loses his head, and then the female completely eats him.

Predators also hunt very gracefully. They are quite maneuverable and can catch and kill a prey in a matter of seconds. Distinctive feature insects - they perfectly control all their movements in flight.

What it looks like: structure and characteristics

As a rule, praying mantises have an elongated body, which is a distinctive feature of these insects. Praying mantises are one of the few insects that can make a full rotation of their head around its axis.. This is why they can easily spot enemies from behind. The insect has only one ear, but its hearing is excellent.

Related materials:

Mantis - interesting facts

Mantises have compound eyes that are located on both sides of the head. There are also three elemental eyes above where the antennae grow. The mantis' mustache, in turn, has a comb structure and can also be feathery and filamentous. The type of whiskers varies depending on the type of insect.

Interesting fact: Praying mantis is one of the varieties of wushu. According to Chinese beliefs, this style was invented by a peasant, for a long time watching the mantis hunt.

Most varieties of mantises are equipped with wings, but only males can use them for their intended purpose. Females are unable to fly due to their large size and weight. Each insect has two pairs of wings - front and rear. They usually bright color, sometimes with beautiful patterned designs. However, there is one species of mantis that has no wings at all - the ground mantis.

Each mantis is well built and has developed front legs with which it can grab prey. The structure of the forelimbs is as follows: acetabular rings, femurs, tibiae with hooks at the ends, and paws. There are sharp spines on the lower part of the thighs, and there are also smaller spines on the lower leg.

Mantises clamp the caught food between their legs and thighs. They hold it until they eat it completely. Due to their unusual respiratory apparatus, praying mantises have the simplest circulatory system. Oxygen enters the insect's body through a complex chain of several tracheas, which are interconnected by stigmata.

Dimensions

The most important difference between the sexes is size. Females are much larger than males. The largest species of mantis, Ischnomantis gigas, lives in Africa; it can grow up to 17 cm in length, holding the record for its size among all mantises.

The second longest species of mantis is Heterochaeta orientalis. The record sizes of these representatives of mantises are slightly smaller - up to 16 cm. The simplest representatives of the species grow no more than 1.5 cm in length.

Interesting fact: The USSR had a plan to use praying mantises as protectors against agricultural pests. However, the idea was not realized, as predators killed the bees.

What does a praying mantis eat?

Praying mantises are predators and have excellent hunting abilities. They feed on small insects, but can attack creatures larger than them. The most large species even attack small mammals, reptiles and reptiles. They track prey secretly, hide in the foliage and attack with lightning speed.

Related materials:

Interesting features of the structure and nutrition of some animals

Color and camouflage

Praying mantises have excellent camouflage abilities. Their color and shape depend on the place of existence. Some mantises may be green, others brown, or even variegated. The color of an insect depends on its environment. Green mantises can be missed in the grass, brown ones on the ground. Variegated praying mantises look like this to attract females.

1 of 5

Some insects may have different shape, masquerading as leaves. This way they become invisible to enemies. If someone attacks an insect, it begins to open its wings and try to look bigger.

Enemies

Praying mantises are certainly excellent hunters. However, even they become victims of predatory animals. The most important enemy for the population is considered to be another species of mantis. Larger individuals can kill all the praying mantises in the area without any problems. certain territory. Praying mantises are very brave insects, so they rush at representatives of their own family even in cases where they exceed them in size.

Types of mantises: photos and names

On this moment there are approximately 2 thousand different types these insects.

Related materials:

The largest insects in the world

Common mantises living in many countries of the world. They are quite large, reaching 7 cm in length. Mostly green or brown, can fly. The body of the insect is oblong. home distinguishing feature representatives of this species are small black spot in the area of ​​the coxae of the front legs.

Chinese mantises live in China. They are considered one of the largest. Females reach 15 cm in length. The main color is green, but they can also be brown. The young are wingless and can fly only when they grow up. Indian flower mantis

Indian flower mantises live in and near Indian territories. Very small - up to 4 cm. The body is slightly longer than the others, dotted with protective spines. Cream spots on the wings in the form of an eye. They live in flowers and catch insects that want to eat nectar.

The spiny flower mantis lives in African countries. They are somewhat similar to the previous view. All wings are painted with interesting patterns, similar to eyes or spirals. They got their name from the spikes on their bellies.

Orchid mantises are one of the most beautiful views these insects. They got their name due to their color and appearance, similar to orchid petals. They wait on these flowers and catch other insects. They grow up to 8 cm, while males are exactly half that size. The most fearless representatives of their family can rush even at large enemies.

Heterochaete eastern- one of the most major representatives praying mantis. They can grow up to 15 cm in length. The majority of individuals live in Africa; they prefer to hide in the branches of bushes, so they are similar in appearance to them.

How long do praying mantises live?

Praying mantises can live up to one year. However, in an artificially created environment, the age of some individuals reaches one and a half years. They reproduce two weeks after birth. Males, as a rule, die after mating. Moreover, larger females kill them. The newly hatched praying mantis larvae immediately begin to eat small flies; after four molts, they become copies of adult individuals.

Why is the praying mantis called that?

The praying mantis family includes about 800 species. They have long and narrow bodies, six legs, brown or green wings up to 5 cm long. But why is this insect called somewhat unusually - a praying mantis?

The praying mantis got its name because of its body structure, habits and, naturally, associative connections of people. Very often it can be seen in a motionless pose, with its front, largest legs raised up. He stands there for hours, folding them, as if he is praying. The structure of the praying mantis's forelimbs vaguely resembles human arms, bent at the elbows. Rubbing them and shaking its head, the praying mantis resembles a praying person. Hence the name “mantis”, that is, it prays to God. Even the great Swedish naturalist Carl Linnaeus gave this insect a name associated with religion - Mantis religiosa, that is, “religious predictor (prophet).”

Despite such a benevolent name, praying mantises are considered one of the most cruel and bloodthirsty insects. The praying mantis folds its legs in this way not for prayer, but for hunting. As soon as any insect appears nearby, the praying mantis quickly throws its folded legs forward and grabs the victim. The praying mantis is helped to hold it by those located on inside the front legs have sharp serrations.

Praying mantises hop on four hind legs and can fly from place to place. Moreover, they are the only insects that can turn their heads to the sides and back and even look over their shoulders. So it is difficult for the victim to dodge them; they will still notice him. Mantises catch prey and, holding it with their paws, slowly savor it.

This insect has long been of interest to scientists and fear of all people who have heard about it. People call praying mantises “soothsayers” and “mule killers.” The first name apparently comes from the meaningful pose of “praying”, and the second comes from the belief that the saliva of a praying mantis can poison a mule.

Hello friends! Today I will tell you interesting facts about the praying mantis. The number of praying mantis species is estimated to exceed 2,400. There are also 430 genera and 15 families. Of these species, only one of them is endangered, so these guys can apparently fend for themselves.

Why is the praying mantis called that?

When the praying mantis just stands, its paws form the same shape as during prayer. This is what led to its name. Moreover, the name of the praying mantis has Greek origin and is derived from the word “mantikos”, which means “prophet”.

The praying mantis has a long, elongated body (its dimensions vary from 42 mm to 75 mm), has a triangular head and the most interesting fact The structure of the praying mantis is that it can rotate it almost 180 degrees. This approach allows you to see the approaching fall or the simple world around you.

In addition, he has 5 eyes (2 regular and three small ones on his head) and only one ear, but it is there. It has antennae that allow it to navigate in space.

By the way, by its body you can distinguish a male praying mantis from a female. To do this, you need to count the number of lobes on the lower abdomen; girls will have fewer of them than boys.

The praying mantis is found in many habitats. They are usually located more warm regions, especially in tropical and subtropical latitudes. Most species live in tropical forests, while others can be found in deserts, steppes and grasslands. Only 18 species out of 2400 live in our latitudes.

The praying mantis lives for about a year in wild conditions, depending on how healthy and strong he is, and whether he is at all careful. But a praying mantis living at home can survive up to 2 years. Everything will depend on how you care for him and whether he/she gets bored in captivity.

The praying mantis is a predator that feeds on living food. They tend to ambush and attack other insects, which they can grab with their front legs. Once they lock their legs, the victim is almost never able to escape. Some species may also prey on spiders, small birds, lizards, mice and other small animals. Although most often these are bugs and other small insects.

During the breeding season, females become aggressive and can attack victims even as large as themselves.

The praying mantis definitely bites, which is how it attacks its future lunch or dinner. If you are worried about yourself, then in principle you shouldn’t, since it doesn’t touch a person. Unless you get into trouble yourself.

Why is the praying mantis dangerous for humans?

Theoretically, the praying mantis is dangerous for humans, like any other insect in our world. He will not intentionally attack, but he can injure. Its paws have sharp spines that are unlikely to cause a serious cut, but will be unpleasant. Although the most important thing is that they are not contagious and if nothing unnecessary gets into the wound, then it’s not scary.

Moreover, praying mantises can be kept at home and made friends with them, like with any other animals.

Yes. They all have wings (with the exception of just a couple of species), but due to the fact that females are heavier, they use them much less often, but males often resort to them to visit more places and find more females.

Cannibalism among praying mantises is, in principle, natural, but it happens extremely rarely. Eating a partner is not necessary for mating. Since the female is larger and can be very hungry, after the process any food will do for her, but often this does not happen, and the male simply leaves, albeit quickly and quietly, but he leaves.

How do praying mantises reproduce?

After dangerous sex (for the male), the female lays eggs on tree branches and protects them with a special substance, which subsequently hardens and forms a cocoon. There can be from 100 to 300 eggs.

Bonus facts about the praying mantis:

• China has several martial arts based on the movements and principles of the hunting mantis.
• The color and shape of the praying mantis can be very different; they can disguise themselves as flowers, twigs, leaves, etc. This phenomenon is called mimicry. Flower mantises so colorful and convincing that unsuspecting insects come to collect nectar from them... and become lunch in the meantime.
• They can see the movement of other animals up to 18 meters away!
• They are often eaten the bats, so they should be wary too.
• The USSR once decided to use praying mantises as a natural weapon against unnecessary insects in agricultural life, but it didn’t work out. And all because praying mantises eat not only bugs, aphids, etc., but also bees, and this has only begun to cause harm.

04/08/2019 26/08/2019 TanyaVU 229