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Description
Just something to celebrate Praying Mantis Appreciation Day, the day when we stop and show some appreciation and love for our favorite top insect predator. The praying mantis has always been, still is, and always will be one of the most popular insects, especially they hunt and eat other insects, especially the ones that annoy us. But there is more about praying mantises that you should know about:

1. Female mantises are much larger than males, which is one reason why they usually end up cannibalizing their partners after mating.
2. Mantises have stereo vision, which allows them to locate their prey by sight, with help from their compound eyes that contain up to 10,000 ommatidia.
3. Aside from insects (like crickets, grasshoppers, roaches, and beetles), mantises also hunt larger prey like spiders, frogs, small lizards, mice, and even small birds, including hummingbirds!
4. Some mantis species adapt to camouflage to ambush prey (disguising as part of a flower, for example).
5. Mantises are (surprisingly) closely related to termites and cockroaches.
6. Despite what most people believed, especially during the 1950's, praying mantises are not protected by law, nor are they endangered. It was just a rumor that somehow spread during the 1950's, that if you killed a mantis, you'll have to pay a fine. However, there is no such law. However, killing a mantis is still cruel and not necessary.
7. Mantises get the common nickname, 'praying mantis,' from the form their greatly enlarged and folded forearms, which are used to catch and grip prey, and their upright posture, both of which makes it look like the mantis is praying.
8. Two martial arts which were separately developed in China, have movements and fighting strategies, all based on those of the mantis.
9. In Africa, mantises are believed to bring good luck, and even act like guides along one´s journey into eternal life.
10. Despite eating insects that bugs us, mantises don't have key attributes of biological pest control agents since they do not specialize in a single pest insect, nor do they multiply rapidly in response to an increase in such a prey species, but are general predators. Therefore, mantises have "little value" in biological pest control.
11. In temperate climates, the mating season typically takes place in autumn, while it can occur any time of the year in tropical climates.
12. Depending on the species, female mantises lay between 10 and 400 eggs.
13. Mantises have been around in our planet since the Early Cretaceous (when the dinosaurs were still around).
14. Some people tend to keep mantises as pets (though in some places, catching and keeping them, even for pets, is considered illegal).
15. Though they can fly at night, mantises are primarily diurnal (active during the day time).
16. All mantis species belong to the order, Mantodea.

Whatever you think of them and even though we love and look at them as superheroes, mantises are still just animals trying to survive. If you see one today and even if you're excited, remember to be gentle with it (after all, mantises are insect). Still, time for mantises all around the world to get the appreciation and respect they deserve for their role in nature. Happy Praying Mantis Appreciation Day!

Description
Just something to celebrate Praying Mantis Appreciation Day, the day when we stop and show some appreciation and love for our favorite top insect predator. The praying mantis has always been, still is, and always will be one of the most popular insects, especially they hunt and eat other insects, especially the ones that annoy us. But there is more about praying mantises that you should know about:

1. Female mantises are much larger than males, which is one reason why they usually end up cannibalizing their partners after mating.
2. Mantises have stereo vision, which allows them to locate their prey by sight, with help from their compound eyes that contain up to 10,000 ommatidia.
3. Aside from insects (like crickets, grasshoppers, roaches, and beetles), mantises also hunt larger prey like spiders, frogs, small lizards, mice, and even small birds, including hummingbirds!
4. Some mantis species adapt to camouflage to ambush prey (disguising as part of a flower, for example).
5. Mantises are (surprisingly) closely related to termites and cockroaches.
6. Despite what most people believed, especially during the 1950's, praying mantises are not protected by law, nor are they endangered. It was just a rumor that somehow spread during the 1950's, that if you killed a mantis, you'll have to pay a fine. However, there is no such law. However, killing a mantis is still cruel and not necessary.
7. Mantises get the common nickname, 'praying mantis,' from the form their greatly enlarged and folded forearms, which are used to catch and grip prey, and their upright posture, both of which makes it look like the mantis is praying.
8. Two martial arts which were separately developed in China, have movements and fighting strategies, all based on those of the mantis.
9. In Africa, mantises are believed to bring good luck, and even act like guides along one´s journey into eternal life.
10. Despite eating insects that bugs us, mantises don't have key attributes of biological pest control agents since they do not specialize in a single pest insect, nor do they multiply rapidly in response to an increase in such a prey species, but are general predators. Therefore, mantises have "little value" in biological pest control.
11. In temperate climates, the mating season typically takes place in autumn, while it can occur any time of the year in tropical climates.
12. Depending on the species, female mantises lay between 10 and 400 eggs.
13. Mantises have been around in our planet since the Early Cretaceous (when the dinosaurs were still around).
14. Some people tend to keep mantises as pets (though in some places, catching and keeping them, even for pets, is considered illegal).
15. Though they can fly at night, mantises are primarily diurnal (active during the day time).
16. All mantis species belong to the order, Mantodea.

Whatever you think of them and even though we love and look at them as superheroes, mantises are still just animals trying to survive. If you see one today and even if you're excited, remember to be gentle with it (after all, mantises are insect). Still, time for mantises all around the world to get the appreciation and respect they deserve for their role in nature. Happy Praying Mantis Appreciation Day!