THE PRAYING MANTIS

A praying mantis is a large insect that can be found on every continent except Antarctica. There are over 1,800 types of praying mantis, but only seven of those types live in our area.

They are called praying mantis because they hold their two front legs in a position that reminds people of praying.

Although praying mantis are known for being incredible hunters, they are relatively harmless to humans. In fact, many farmers appreciate praying mantises because they like to eat bugs that can harm crops.

Where in the Conejo
can you find
a praying mantis?

Praying mantises are very good at camouflage. That means they are able to blend into the habitat where they live. Some mantises even have wings that look like leaves! The key to finding a praying mantis is to look for the insects they like to eat (crickets and grasshoppers). These tend to be in gardens or bushes.

In the springtime, young praying mantises can be found close to where the mama laid the egg, which usually on branches of bushes. Adults can be seen later in the summer (right about now) when they begin to look for a mate.

If you have a garden, look around the leaves and branches of the plants. If you are visiting a park, take a moment and look at some of the flowering plants. You may spot a praying mantis being very still, waiting for its next meal.

Each September, we find a praying mantis on our porch (see the one pictured above). Our porch light attracts many other insects that the mantis enjoys eating, so it may just be looking for an easy place to eat. September is also when adult praying mantises look for mates so you may find them in more variety of places than just the garden.

PRAYING MANTIS INTERESTING FACTS:

1. They live about one year.
2. They have one ear and it's located under their thorax or chest.
3. The average size of a praying mantis is 6 inches.
4. Large species of praying mantis can eat lizards and small birds.

The praying mantis has 5 eyes. The two large ones that you see on the sides are made up of hundreds of little lenses making their vision even better. If you ever want to know what it is like to see what a praying mantis sees, put a kaleidoscope up to each eye and look around.
Now that's some incredible vision!

A praying mantis is harmless to humans, but deadly to grasshoppers.
And a mantis has its own predators to watch out for.

FREE DOWNLOADABLE
BUG OBSERVATION LESSON

Outdoor Families Magazine offers a free Jr. Naturalist Bug Observation lesson plan loaded with activities that promote movement and song, reading, and critical thinking. View the week-long Bug Observation lesson, field notes worksheet, and observation lesson plan below, or download it for free by clicking on the link here:
https://outdoorfamiliesonline.com/bug-observation-lesson-plan/

Some garden stores sell praying mantis eggs. These are usually available during springtime. This is a fun way to observe baby mantises hatch. Just be warned that one egg can contain hundreds of little baby mantises. Make sure you keep the egg in the closed container it was purchased in. There is really no way to know when it will hatch but it usually happens at the end of spring when the weather gets a little warmer. Also, it best to release the mantises in your garden soon after they hatch. They hatch hungry and will sometimes choose a sibling as their first meal if they do not have any other options.

A baby praying mantis looks just like an adult praying mantis, except it is much smaller. Because the praying mantis does not have skin like us, but rather an exoskeleton, it goes through a process called molting as it grows bigger. When it gets too big for it's exoskeleton, it will grow a new one and shed the old one. A praying mantis will molt at least seven times before becoming an adult.

Ages: K-3

"My Awesome Summer"
by Paul Meisel

"Praying Mantis"
by Megan Borgert-Spaniol

Our local libraries are currently closed but do offer curbside pickup.
Visit tolibrary.org for more information.

ARE YOU AN EDUCATOR?
If you would like this information in a format you can distribute to your class, let's chat! Email Christina at naturekidsactivities@gmail.com

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