Praying Mantis: a two-minute wildlife lesson

Busy Bugs · day 3 of 7

Five facts

1. Female praying mantises are too heavy for their wings to lift them, so they stay grounded while males zip around.
2. Each eye of a mantis has 8,000-10,000 tiny lenses, and it needs both eyes together to judge distance before it strikes.
3. During mating the male clings to the female for four to five hours.
4. Afterwards the male drops to the ground, moves about 50 cm away, freezes for about four minutes, then leaves.
5. It lives across Europe, Asia and Africa. Brought to North America by people, it is now Connecticut's official state insect.

The quiz

1. Why can't adult females fly?

• Their wings are missing
• They have no eyes
• They are too heavy for their wings (correct)
• They are too small

Adult females are too heavy for their wings to lift off.

2. How many tiny lenses does each adult eye have?

• 8,000-10,000 (correct)
• 80-100
• 800-1,000
• 80,000-100,000

Each eye has 8,000-10,000 tiny lenses.

3. How long does the male cling to the female during mating?

• Ten seconds
• About one minute
• Two days
• Four to five hours (correct)

He clings to the female for four to five hours.

4. How far does the male get from the female before he freezes?

• About 5 cm
• About 50 cm (correct)
• About 5 m
• About 50 m

He moves about 50 cm away, then freezes for about four minutes.

5. Which US state has the mantis as its official insect?

• Texas
• Maine
• Connecticut (correct)
• Florida

The mantis is the official state insect of Connecticut.

More about the Praying Mantis

Same week

All lessons

Nature documentaries