Adrienne Houk Maley - 20 Fun Facts about Praying Mantises

FUN FACTS ABOUT PRAYING MANTISES

Adrienne Houk Maley

FUN FACTS ABOUT

PRAYING MA NTISES

By Author

By Adrienne Houk Maley

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Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Maley, Adrienne Houk fun facts about praying mantises / by Adrienne Houk Maley. p. cm. ( Fun fact le: bugs! ) Includes bibliographical references and index. Summary: This book describes praying mantises, including their physical characteristics, habitats, and eating habits. Contents: Natures Kung Fu masters Mantis bodies Ive got my eyes on you Whos in the hood? Praying for prey Hungry bugs Listen up! Fancy protection The case of the praying mantis Checkmate Great gardeners Magni cent mantis meals Close encounters. ISBN 978-1-4339-8240-8 ( hard bound) ISBN 978-1-4339-8241-5 ( pbk. ) ISBN 978-1-4339-8242-2 ( 6-pack) Praying mantis Juvenile literature [ Praying mantis] I. Title 2013 7/27 dc23

First Edition

Published in 2013 by Gareth Stevens Publishing East 14th Street, Suite New York, NY 10003

Copyright 2013 Gareth Stevens Publishing

Designer: Sarah Liddell Editor: Greg Roza

Photo credits: Cover, p. Image Focus/Shutterstock. com; pp. 4, ( left) , Eric Isselee/Shutterstock. com; p. ( large mantis) GIRODJL/Shutterstock. com; p. ( small mantis) GK Hart/Vikki Hart/Photodisc/ Getty Images; p. Jens Stolt/Shutterstock. com; p. ( right) iStockphoto. com/muratseyit; p. Katarina Christenson/Shutterstock. com; pp. 10, 14, 20, Cathy Keifer/Shutterstock. com; p. ( mantis) Florian Andronache/Shutterstock. com; p. ( cockroach) iStockphoto. com/Atelopus; pp. 12, iStockphoto/Thinkstock. com; p. Alexander Chelmdeev/Shutterstock. com; p. sarah2/Shutterstock. com; p. Visuals Unlimited, Inc. /Robert Pickett/Visuals Unlimited/Getty Images; p. phittavas/Shutterstock. com; p. nico99/ Shutterstock. com; p. iStockphoto. com/aetmeister; p. kevin connors/Shutterstock. com; p. Emily Goodwin/Shutterstock. com; p. iStockphoto. com/135133; p. nico99/Shutterstock. com; p. ( cricket) pale62/Shutterstock. com; p. ( praying mantis and spider) Kristy Pargeter/Shutterstock. com; p. ( grasshopper, mouse, and hummingbird) Nebojsa S/Shutterstock. com; p. ( frog) Potapov Alexander/Shutterstock. com; p. Dobermaraner/Shutterstock. com.

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Printed in the United States of America

CPSIA compliance information: Batch #CW13GS: For further information contact Gareth Stevens, New York, New York at 1-800-542-2595.

Contents

Natures Kung Fu Masters Mantis Bodies Ive Got My Eyes on You Whos in the Hood Praying for Prey Hungry Bugs Listen Up Fancy Protection The Case of the Praying Mantis Checkmate Great Gardeners Magni cent Mantis Meals Close Encounters Glossary For More Information Index

Words in the glossary appear in bold type the rst time they are used in the text

Natures Kung Fu Masters

Some people love praying mantises more than other insects because of their supercool looks. However, they can be hard to spot because they blend in so well with their surroundings.

Many people think praying mantises look cool because they hold their front legs as if theyre praying or like theyre about to do kung fu! Maybe thats why other bugs stay far away. This position allows praying mantises to be ready for a quick attack on their prey.

Mantis Bodies

FACT

A praying mantiss front legs are strong enough to crush some prey.

A praying mantiss front legs can strike in 1/20 of a second. These strong, spiny legs can easily hold on to struggling prey. A praying mantis can easily crush a grasshopper or cricket with its front legs.

This praying mantis holds its prey tightly in its forelegs and eats it alive.

FACT

Male mantises can fly, but females usually cant.

A mantis has two large outer wings that protect two smaller inner wings. A males wings are longer than a females wings. Males can y short distances to get away from predators. Female mantises are heavier. They jump and crawl, but they usually cant y.

A female mantis has a longer, heavier body than a male and shorter wings.

female mantis

male mantis

Ive Got My Eyes on You

FACT

Praying mantises have two kinds of eyes.

A praying mantiss large eyes are positioned on the sides of its triangular-shaped head. Theyre very good at seeing everything around them, especially movement. Praying mantises also have three simple eyes between their two large eyes. These smaller eyes only sense light.

Praying mantises can turn their head side to side, allowing them to see nearly all the way around them.

FACT

Praying mantises see much better than many insects.

The praying mantiss large eyes are compound eyes. They can detect quick movements and see objects as far as feet (15 m) away. Flies have compound eyes, too, but many can only see objects clearly a few millimeters away.

The compound eye of the praying mantis has thousands of light-sensitive parts.