Photo by Sarah Hadley
Species of the day – March 7, 2013 – Preying mantis (Mantodea)
Here is another amazing example of camouflage. This is a different species of preying mantis than the one we saw earlier (mantis #1). This one looks much more like a dead leaf, but is no less camouflaged. It must be a dangerous pace for a small insect to be wandering around when these are out there.
That is a great example of camouflage, looks just like leaves. Mantises are well known for their adaptive camouflage. Malaysian Orchid Mantises are usually colored white/pink to match the coloration of orchid flowers in their region. That one doesn’t seem to have wings like the ones here in Ohio. There’s nothing more impressive than a big green female Preying Mantis flying across the yard! I played hide and seek with one in my flower bed one time. I crawled around on the ground, out of site, I thought, and tried to out flank it. Every time I raised my head to take a look, it was staring right at me with those big eyes. It was was kind eerie to think that a bug might be stalking me. It made me wonder what it might be thinking. Could the preying Mantis be sizing me up as it’s prey?