When it comes to insects, the praying mantis is the strangest of the bunch.
The mantis walks with a slow deliberation, hiding in plain sight, often unnoticed by
even the most observant of nature's explorers.
With over 2,400 species in about 430 genera in 15 families, stay with us, as we are looking
at the 10 of the most beautiful praying mantises in the world.
Number 10.
Originating from Africa, the ghost mantis is remarkable for its leaf-like body.
It comes in various brownish shades from very dark brown, almost black, to greenish gray.
The ghost mantis is camouflaged so as to appear as dead, dried-up leaf material.
It has an elongated head, a flattened, extended prothorax and leaf-like protrusions from its
limbs.
The mantis also has a forewing that looks like a desiccated leaf, and the "creases"
in the wings are actually shadings of pigment.
In the wild, the ghost praying mantis effectively blends in against dead leaves.
Number 9.
Found in Southern India and Sri Lanka, the wandering violin mantis, also know as ornate
mantis or Indian rose mantis can reach up to 11 cm (4.3 in) long.
Its body has a lot of appendages that look like dried leaves while the body itself is
long and thin to resemble a wooden stick, making it known for swaying its body back
and forth to imitate a stick flowing in the wind.
This is one of the few mantis species that can be kept in groups safely all their lives.
They prefer to eat flying prey and will therefore leave each other alone.
Not to be mistaken, when hungry they will definitely turn to each other.
Cannibalism can happen when there is not enough food, especially if the mantises are still
young.
Number 8.
Native to Asia, the males jeweled flower mantis only grow up to 3.8 cm (1.5in).
In fact, the jeweled flower mantis is the smallest flower mantis, yet most widespread.
The males of this species are fairly communal, but the females can be cannibalistic.
Though infrequent, cannibalism among this species is nevertheless more common than among
other flower mantises.
With 90% survival rate among nymphs, the jeweled flower mantises make easy pets with proper
care, where they can live about nine months in captivity.
Number 7.
Ranging from western Asia to the northeastern coast of Italy, the empusa fasciata has a
tapering head with a miter-like helmet, oval compound eyes, slender raptorial forelegs
and a long thin thorax.
The ventral abdomen and the femurs of the long thin walking legs have distinct lobules,
which serve as camouflage.
Due to its bizarre shape and the yellowish-green striped pattern of the legs, this mantis is
well-camouflaged in vegetation, and is noticeable only when in motion.
In the course of evolution, it has specialized in preying on fast flying insects, such as
flies and bees.
One reason for this preference may be that flying insects serve as nutritious food, which
is important in the spring when there is a limited food supply.
Number 6.
Found in North Africa, parts of the Mediterranean, Middle East, southern Asia, and on the Canary
Islands, the thistle mantis is also known as small Devil's flower mantis, Egyptian flower
mantis, and Arab mantis.
This species of praying mantis is creamy-white to beige with light green stripes and light
green "veins" on the wings as adults.
Even though they are not an extremely cannibalistic species, these mantises are not actually recommended
for the beginners who wish to keep them, as they require special high temperatures
for proper growth and survival.
Number 5.
Found in eastern Africa, the devil's flower mantis or giant devil's flower mantis is one
of the largest praying mantis, possibly the largest that mimics flowers where
females grow to be about 13 centimetres (5 inches) in length and males to about 10 centimetres
(4 inches).
In the event of being confronted by a predator, this mantis initiates a deimatic display in
an attempt "to scare off or momentarily distract a predator".
Its front legs are raised to expose the conspicuous patterns depicted on the bottom of the thorax
and abdomen.
Similarly, the wings display a combination of vibrant colours to startle and confuse
predators.
Number 4.
Native to China, glass mantis is a small species of mantis where most of them are light green,
with wings that resemble the lacewings wings.
Just an inch in length and short legged, this mantis's body is nearly completely see through,
like its name suggests.
As one of the rarest mantises in the world, the glass mantises wait to ambush
or patiently stalk their prey; but once they're ready to strike, they do
so with lightning speed, attacking with those big front legs so quickly that it's hard to
see with the naked eye.
In addition, they have spikes on their legs to skewer and pin the victims into place.
Number 3.
Native to the tropical forests of Southeast Asia, the orchid mantis is characterized by
brilliant colouring and a structure finely adapted for camouflage, mimicking parts of
the orchid flower.
The four walking legs resemble flower petals, the toothed front pair is used as in other
mantises for grasping prey.
These mantises are some of the best camouflagers in the animal kingdom.
From the right angle, they can look completely like flowers and nothing like insects, and
they can even change color to better reflect the vegetation of their habitat.
This makes them hard to be spotted in the wild, apart from the fact of them being rare.
Number 2.
Native to Eastern and Southern Africa, the spiny flower mantis is a beautiful species
with yellow and green stripes, and as adults they have a beautiful patch
of color on their wings that looks like an eye.
When threatened, these insects raise their forewings, which makes them look like a much
larger creature with big, golden eyes.
This is called a deimatic display.
The females of this species are larger, heavier and broader than males.
An easy way to tell males from females is to look at the length of their wings: A female's
wings will reach to the end of her abdomen, while a male's wings will extend past it.
Number 1.
The iridescent bark mantis is a very rare species of praying mantis found in Southeast
Asia.
Most related mantids display bland coloring, to act as camouflage, yet this invertebrate
goes the opposite route.
It tends to rest underneath the bark of trees, feeding on butterflies, termites, flies, and
mainly on cockroaches.
But, they also chase after their prey, rather than ambushing them like most mantis species.
Rather surprisingly, the IUCN does not yet have a classification for this amazing species.
However, most experts consider it to be threatened, as its numbers appear to be scant in the wild.