At noon in midsummer, a pine cicada climbs on the trunk of a tree and is singing loudly to the chorus of the family. At this time, a slender figure with a body color similar to the trunk of a tree quietly appeared above and slowly moved down. The pine chill ignored the approaching phantom overhead, and "squeaked".
Suddenly, the pair of strangely shaped forefeet of the uninvited guest struck like lightning, instantly clamping the fat pine cold cicada, and the loud chirping stopped abruptly. That terrifying big mouth chewed quickly, and the poor pine cold cicada was quickly devoured. Waving his arms to block the car is as fierce as a tiger, this scene is not a clip from a horror movie, but just a hunt that the Chinese sword mantis is accustomed to. The praying mantis has a slender body with leather-like forewings and membrane-like hindwings that can be folded. The triangular head, the huge compound eyes on both sides of the head, and the two "big knives" on the chest make the praying mantis quite alien temperament.
The mantis's signature pair of huge forefeet have a wide guillotine-like midsection and rows of sharp spines, and the front segment resembles a toothed sickle that can be folded. The near-perfect capture is not only strong and sharp, but also surprisingly fast, and the praying mantis can complete a pinch action in a hundredth of a second. In the pair of huge compound eyes on the top of the mantis's head, thousands of small eyes can work independently. By comparing the parallax between the small eyes, the praying mantis can quickly determine the bearing, speed and distance of multiple moving objects.
In order to give full play to its superior visual ability, the praying mantis also has a head that can rotate 180°. This reconnaissance system is comparable to the most advanced air defense radars, and it is no wonder that the Germans named the newly developed low-altitude defense system "Mantis". Although it is only a common type of insects, the daily movements of the praying mantis are full of mystery. Praying mantis are good at waiting motionless for their prey for a long time. At this time, they stand or hang on their back four legs, tucking their huge feet together in front of their chests, like a devout prayer. Therefore, in ancient Greece, the praying mantis was regarded as a prophet and was nicknamed "prayer worm".
When approaching its prey, the praying mantis will constantly sway from side to side, simulating the state of plants swaying in the wind, making it difficult for opponents to judge their true position and distance. Occasionally, the praying mantis will straighten its body, fully spread its fan-shaped hindwings, and hold high its "double knife" and constantly open its teeth and dance its claws. Some species of praying mantis also rub their wings against their bodies, making a "whoosh" sound similar to that of a poisonous snake. This dance-like intimidating posture can often scare stupid and timid prey, or make strong enemies dare not act rashly.
Whether crouching, stealth or intimidation, the prerequisites for the success of these tactics are stealth and suddenness. Therefore, praying mantis are usually masters of disguise. The body color of praying mantis is mainly green or brown, close to the color of plant leaves or branches, which is conducive to hiding its whereabouts. Masters such as the bark mantis have a more sophisticated level of camouflage, and their flat bodies are covered with dull and blurry markings, which can be perfectly integrated with the trunk.
The most popular disguise master in the mantis family, the orchid mantis. The orchid mantis is no longer than four or five centimeters long, about the size of a flower. Their bodies are delicate pink-white, pink or pinkish-purple, embellished with markings that mimic the shape of flowers. Their feet, wings and even compound eyes, both in shape and color, have evolved to resemble flowers. The beautiful orchid praying mantis only needs to stand on the flowers and wait for the rabbit, and there will naturally be daredevil flower visitors who throw themselves into the net. Beauty, at this time it becomes a fatal trap!
In autumn, pairs of praying mantis can often be seen in the wild, and they are completing the most important breeding task in life. Every time the petite male mantis is still immersed in tender honey, the strong female mantis has turned around and grabbed the "husband", mercilessly opening her mouth to gnaw. Female praying mantis often eats only the head and thorax of the male. However, the nerve center of the praying mantis is not concentrated on the head, the male mantis will not die immediately, and the remnants are still tightly lying on the back of the "wife", continuing to complete the task of inheritance.
To successfully raise the next generation, pot-bellied female praying mantis must consume a lot of protein. If food is insufficient, the male mantis has to make the final sacrifice for its children. If the female praying mantis is not hungry, this horror is not inevitable. The female praying mantis is a cruel bride and a conscientious mother. After eating the male mantis, the female mantis will find a hidden place to hide, and then expel the gelatinous foam. Then arrange the upper layer of eggs. After laying the eggs in this cycle, the eggs are carefully sealed with foam. The foam quickly hardens into egg sheaths, providing good protection for praying mantis eggs.
Winter is quietly coming, and the mantis mother is gone forever. Mantis eggs hide in their sheaths for long winters and early spring, hatching only in late spring and early summer, when prey is plentiful. For months, swarms of baby praying mantis have surged out on both sides of the silent egg sheath. They use the filaments of their abdomen to hang from the ground, and their whole body is wrapped in a thin layer of egg membrane. The little praying mantis burst out one after another, waiting for the body to slowly harden in the air.
Although they are already seven or eight points similar in appearance to their parents, baby praying mantis still have to go through months of growth to reach adulthood, reach the size of their parents and have wings. Freshly hatched praying mantis are as small as a mosquito (rui) and can only prey on very small insects such as aphids. The little praying mantis quickly went their separate ways so as not to become prey for their fellow siblings. Nature does not give the mind of praying mantis affection and friendship, they must face the vast and dangerous world alone, and only the strong can survive.
