"The praying mantis catches the cicada, and the yellow finch is behind." We have always known that praying mantis feed on cicadas, but few people understand that praying mantis preys on more than just cicadas.
Although the praying mantis is small in size and slender in limbs, it does not seem to have much combat effectiveness at first glance. But it scares many insects, even snakes, mice and birds many times larger than praying mantises, which are the best fighting power among animals of the same size, and some people call it "the most cruel insect in the world".
Shouldn't it be these animals that prey on praying mantises? Why are they attacked and preyed on by praying mantises? What exactly are the unknown secrets of praying mantis when preying? Today's article will reveal the secret of the mantis, which is seriously underestimated by humans, and its superior predatory ability.
Unique advantages
Praying mantis are carnivorous insects with a body length of 11 to 140 mm. Although it is a large species among insects, it is relatively small compared to other animals.
But why are praying mantis so short in stature that they can prey on animals many times larger than themselves?
First of all, the praying mantis has a pair of large compound eyes that bulge like copper bells. Thousands of small eyes are equivalent to a single lens, forming a large eye. When the little bug flies by, its trajectory is composed of images and radio waves, and the mantis's brain also receives signals from the small eye, which can easily grasp the activity trajectory of the small worm.
In addition, the head of the praying mantis can rotate almost 360 degrees, and the insect movement at close range cannot escape its "magic eye", and good dynamic vision makes it like a fish in the water when preying at night.
It is worth mentioning that praying mantis is born with two forelimbs like a sickle. The "big knife" full of serrations, once it clamps its prey, there is no possibility of letting go. Even the animals that seem to us to be proud of have only one way to die in the face of the mantis's big knife.
Taking the large knife mantis all over the continent as an example, their strength and speed are top when attacking, and the speed of the attack only takes 0.1 seconds. All in all, it can be summarized as a three-word secret - fast, accurate, and ruthless. The average body length of the large knife mantis is 13 cm, and attacking animals within 10 cm is a piece of cake. If people observe the scene on the side, they often do not see how the praying mantis shoots, and the prey has been firmly contained in its mouth.
In addition, its camouflage ability also makes it more powerful when preying. Because of its external color, it can be easily disguised as plants such as green leaves or dead leaves. Such camouflage techniques can not only evade the pursuit of natural enemies, but also kill the prey with one blow without noticing.
However, because the head of praying mantis is inverted triangular, they cannot swallow their prey in one bite and can only swallow it in small mouthfuls. And they also do not have the ability to secrete venom and cannot act as anesthetics, which makes animals in the last waking moment of life to be tortured to have a feeling that life is better than death, which is like a late execution.
Mantis VS Hummingbird
In nature, it is natural for birds to prey on insects, and insects to prey on birds in reverse is relatively rare.
Since the Great Knife Mantis invaded North America, the animals in this region have not been so lucky. In the United States, people keep brightly colored, delicate-looking hummingbirds as their pets. For example, the hummingbird in the picture was fetching water without noticing that there was a praying mantis hiding near the vessel and was staring at it.
I saw that the praying mantis seized the opportunity and quickly attacked, showing two "life-killing weapons" with large pincers to clamp the hummingbird.
Don't hummingbirds have pointy beaks? Why is there no "bright sword" to protect yourself at critical moments?
The reason is that the hummingbird is relatively timid, and where has it seen such a fierce attack, it has long been frightened stiff and numb. It can only obediently tie its hands, although the hummingbird struggles with the strength to eat, to no avail. Before the hummingbird's life was over, it felt the praying mantis nibbling on its head bite by bite.
In addition to hummingbirds, praying mantis are also cruel when they prey on other animals, they do not care about the pain of their prey, they only care about whether the food meets its appetite. The praying mantis never thinks that "a duck that reaches its mouth will fly", and only focuses on whether it can catch its prey.
The snake hunting technique is exceptional
In the face of the snake's attack, is the mantis's attack still so strong?
Snakes are creatures, and the big knife mantis can also prey. As the saying goes, "persimmons should pick soft pinches", the big knife mantis attacked not a big snake, but a small snake.
When small snakes encounter praying mantises, they often let down their guard when they see thin praying mantises. Even took the initiative to attack the praying mantis, however, at the moment when the little snake attacked, the praying mantis directly pounced with two large pincers, grabbed the snake's body, and directly gnawed it under its mouth. The little snake could not escape the fate of being tortured to death in a conscious state, and the praying mantis enjoyed the spoils of war and declared its victory to the land.
In addition, researchers have seen praying mantis eat live rats. The "crime" method is also the same as before, and the weapon is still two sharp "big knives". At first, the mouse was still struggling to the death with its instinct to survive, and finally knew that it could not escape the mantis's "life-killing knife", and it also had to admit its life.
For most insect creatures, lizards are a nightmare, but lizards have also been killed by praying mantises. If you choose an assassin in the insect world, then the praying mantis deserves it.
In addition to mercilessly "killing people" animals in nature, praying mantis is also cruel enough for its own people.
Female praying mantises, after mating, will eat their husbands and even feed on their children. As the saying goes, tiger poison does not eat seeds, such a murderous nature can be at the forefront of nature.
However, praying mantis also has self-knowledge. It knows that it has limited size and strength, and will also shy away from large animals. For example, no matter how strong the praying mantis is, it does not dare to attack large snakes, or animals such as cats and dogs, and only dares to attack snake cubs or smaller snakes. Otherwise, it will turn into a mashed meat in an instant. But if the body size of the praying mantis is magnified dozens of times, what will be the ending?
With its natural advantages such as keen eyes and sharp forelimbs, as well as combat skills such as good camouflage and rapid attack, praying mantis can kill snakes, rats and birds and turn them into their own prey. At the same time, praying mantis will also kill each other among their kind, without mercy and without family affection. What do you think of the cruelest species in the insect world? Thanks for reading.