- I'm Coyote Peterson you guys have been asking
for praying mantises and finally we've got one.
(upbeat music)
- [Coyote] The rainforests of Costa Rica
are literally crawling with insects and arachnids.
And while most people do their best to avoid bugs,
I'm not one of those people.
- [Coyote] Is there something on my face?
If bugs don't make your skin crawl
spend some time exploring the Osa Peninsula.
And it won't take long before you realize
that the dense foliage keeps hidden within it,
thousands of these creatures.
- Wow look at that,
he looks just like a stick.
He got two legs up front there,
the antenna and I can feel all the little hooks
on those feet just clinging to my fingers.
That is wild looking.
- [Coyote] Searching by the comforts of daylight,
you definitely stand the chance
of having an animal encounter.
However, the best time to look
is under the cover of darkness
and if you're brave enough to venture out
into the jungle you will quickly find that in the night
the rainforest comes alive with creepy crawlies.
- Well, you guys have written in
so many times asking for me to catch a praying mantis
and finally here in the rainforest of Costa Rica
I come across a leaf mantis.
I've got a good hold on him.
I'm gonna try to grab him from the back there
and turn him around.
Ow, ow he's pinching me.
Look at those pinchers up front there.
He's got a good hold on my finger, which is good.
I've got him and he's got me.
Look at how much this insect
looks exactly like these leaves.
Isn't that crazy?
They are so unbelievably camouflaged,
it almost looks like a little decaying part of the leaf.
As we know praying mantises are ambush predators.
They will lay in wait for some unsuspecting creature
to come along they will reach out grab it, squeeze on,
crush it and then eat it those front mandibles.
Now the praying mantis is an opportunistic feeder.
Meaning it will eat almost anything that it comes across.
But primarily they're feeding on other insects
and the big ones will feed on things
even as large as frogs and lizards.
And they are so alien looking, look at that face,
looking back at you with those big buggy eyes.
And one thing that's unique about praying mantis
is that the females once they have mated with the males,
they will then in turn kill the male
and turn it into a meal.
Talk about that for a first date.
Ouch, ouch, oh, oh,
he is frisky.
He completely looks, ow, oh he's biting me.
Look at that, he's pinching me and he's biting me.
Alright, let's see if I can keep him right there,
on the tip of my finger.
There he goes look at that.
Reaching, reaching, reaching
trying to get to the next spot.
- [Voiceover] Are these rare?
- No, praying mantis are extremely common,
they're just so incredibly hard to find
because they're so well camouflaged.
It's amazing how inquisitive these insects are.
The way he tilts and turns his head,
and I imagine that they must have pretty good eyesight,
with how big their eyes are.
And look at how he can just tuck his arms
underneath his thorax like that.
They have very interesting mannerisms.
You can almost see what they're thinking.
For an insect you probably think to yourself,
"Man that bug can't be that smart."
But praying mantises are pretty savvy.
Right now it's just looking for a leaf to get onto,
so it can head back off into the rainforest
and hunt for the night.
And I have always loved praying mantises
ever since I was a little kid.
This was my favorite insect to catch in the backyard.
Well how awesome was that?
You guys have been wanting to see a praying mantis
for quite some time and finally I come across one,
here in the rainforest of Costa Rica.
I'm Coyote Peterson be brave, stay wild,
we'll see you on the next adventure.
- [Coyote] Keeping hidden is one of the most important
elements of survival in the rainforest.
Without camouflage even the stealthiest
of predators stand the chance of becoming prey.
If you thought the leaf mantis was cool,
check out this on-location and see
what happens when a praying mantis pinches my nose.
And don't forget, subscribe to join me and the crew,
on this season of Breaking Trail.
- I mean I don't know why I would want to let myself
get pinched in the nose by a praying mantis,
it just seemed like the right thing to do at this moment.