Praying mantis stories are mythical legends and mysteries. Many even now do not really know what a praying mantis eats. After all, there are rumors about the incredible cruelty and aggressiveness of these creatures. I wonder if they really devour each other? It's time to figure out what the mantis beetle actually eats.
The insect belongs to the order of cockroaches. It has impressive dimensions, and the female is twice as large as the male - her body reaches 50-75 mm, while in the male, the growth is only 40-50 mm. To understand what a praying mantis eats, just look at the structure of its body. The insect has massive, well-developed forelegs with sharp spikes. Grasping legs are needed for hunting, and sharp spikes, like knives, pierce the victim. Hind legs are used for movement. From this follows the conclusion that mantis eat far from plant foods. These are real predators who track their prey from an ambush.
You can meet the usual mantis in the tropics and subtropics. In Russia, it is common on the Black Sea coast and in the Crimea; there are species that inhabit the Far East and southern Siberia. In their usual habitat: on tree branches and in the grass - mantises are well camouflaged. They merge with green foliage, if necessary take off. Females and males have equally developed wings. But they rarely fly. Wood praying mantises may not leave their favorite place all their lives. The main condition is that there is always food. The fact is that the mantis eats mainly small insects, which are half smaller than himself. In this case, the diet of females and males is not different. At the same time, rumors about the gluttony of the female during
I mating confirmed.
There are several hypotheses that explain why mating ends in the fact that the female mantis tears its head off to its partner. One of the versions is that the female is simply hungry and aggressive, and therefore eats her partner.
But there is a more original hypothesis, which is based on the fact that female hunger has nothing to do with it. Some males, having reached their chosen one, jump on their backs and begin pairing, but they are not able to complete it due to inhibitory impulses coming from the head. For this reason, the female simply tears off her partner’s head, as a result of which the male finally fertilizes her cruel partner.
In all likelihood, this fact makes many think that cannibalism is common among mantis. This is partly true, although the answer to the question of what the mantis eats is quite commonplace. The food for these cockroaches is any living organism that does not exceed the size. In terrariums, it can even be meat and small lizards. Praying mantis is afraid of too large prey, therefore it does not hunt for it.
In order to overtake its prey, a predatory insect can chase it for a long time, try to jump from the back and grab it by the head. It also starts to eat the caught prey from the head. Adult individuals are very voracious - at one time the male can eat 7-8 cockroaches 1 cm long. The more hungry the mantis, the more aggressive it will behave and respond to every movement. When saturated, the insects become lethargic and for some time stop hunting.
