We have many kind of mantis here and this is a baby of the Giant Mantis which gets to be about 5 inches in body length. The tail end eventually straightens out when it gets its first wings. It is a very common species and feeds mainly off caterpillars.
All mantids have large heads and compound eyes.
The female lays her eggs in cocoons like this which is mainly attached to branches. The cocoon is about 1 inch in length but there are hundreds of eggs in them.
Discovered about 20 babies on the curtain in Drama Princess' bedroom the other day. Caught them in a container and set them free in the garden. Don't know if they would make it, but she didn't want them in her bedroom. Found the cocoon behind the curtain a few days later.
ReplyDeleteA pity she does not like them as mantis and gecko's are good to have indoors as they eat the bugs. :)
ReplyDeleteTrès joli post! superbe balade!
ReplyDeleteje te rends visite de mon blog peinture! je suis ravie de découvrir ton blog, j'adore.
Cath CH Photography.
Had a mantis on an indoor potted tree which ate bugs and was fun to watch.
ReplyDelete