Chinese mantis: The hidden hunter with raptorial forelegs

When people think of the mantis, many recall those forelegs that look as if the insect is "praying" — but they are actually a pair of scythes, ready to strike at any moment. The Chinese mantis is one of the largest mantises and a very patient hidden hunter. Let's meet it.

Its body

The Chinese mantis has a triangular head that swivels freely, with large compound eyes locked onto anything that moves. Its forelegs are especially well developed: folded, they look like praying hands; once they open, the inner rows of spines lock together, and prey can hardly escape — from flies and grasshoppers to small lizards. The body is slender and usually green or brown, helping it hide among plants.

Its life and the truth about "eating her mate"

A widely told story says a female mantis eats the male after mating. Research tells us this does happen, but far more often in cramped, stressful captive conditions than in the wild. So it is more of a "legend" than a rule. The female lays her eggs in a frothy case (the ootheca); that "foam house" survives the winter and hatches around a hundred tiny mantises in spring.

A note for grown-ups

You could talk with a child about the "praying hunter": those devout-looking forelegs are really weapons for hunting. Helping a child understand that many gentle-looking appearances in nature hide a special way of surviving — and that when you observe, you should look beneath the surface — is a valuable lesson.