What do you know about the preying mantids? How do you know if this is an animal?

What do you know aboutthe preying mantids?

How do you knowif this is an animal?

This living thing haseyes, legs, a mouth

a body covered with wings,and other parts that help

us know that it is anANIMAL!

How do you knowif this animal is anINVERTEBRATE

orVERTEBRATE?

This animal is aninvertebrate because

it hasNO BACKBONE!

This living thingis an

ANIMALthat is an

INVERTEBRATE.But how can you

know if it isan insect?

Three Body Sections head

thorax

abdomen

Three Pairs of Legs

1

2

3

One pair of antennae

1

Mantids are easy to recognize. Their front legs look like a T-Rex.

These legs are adapted for capturing prey.

The rows of long and short spines along the front legs snatch and cut prey with raptor-like speed.

A single spine at the tip of the front legsacts as a hook to help snag a prey and bring it to the waiting jaws.

The mantids’ jaws are strong enough to cut through our skin

and can chop even large prey into tiny pieces.

The one thing mantids do pray for is a meal!

They feed only on living prey.

A hungry mantid can eat up to 15 crickets a day.

Large Mantids can even eatsmall birds, frogs and small reptiles

Mantids mimic their surroundings--camouflage.

Mantids see any kind of movementwith their mobile head, that can

turn 180 degrees.

Great vision. Large compound eyes on their small triangular head.

A single ear is found in some mantids on their bellies!

This ear can hearing ultrasonic waves thathelp it avoid being eaten by bats.