10 Amazing Facts About Praying Mantises
The kung-fu masters of the insect world!
A praying mantis has FIVE eyes β two big ones in front and three tiny ones on top of its head!
The mantis is the only insect that can turn its head and look over its shoulder, just like you!
It is also the only insect that can see in 3D, which helps it judge exactly how far away its lunch is.
A mantis can snatch a fly in about 1/20 of a second β faster than you can blink!
It has one single ear, right in the middle of its belly, which can hear bats coming.
Baby mantises are called nymphs. They hatch looking like tiny ants and shed their skin as they grow.
There are more than 2,400 kinds of mantises all over the world.
Some mantises, like the orchid mantis, look exactly like flowers to hide from prey.
A mantis breathes through tiny holes in its belly called spiracles β not through its mouth!
Female mantises are bigger than males, and they sometimes eat the male after mating. Nature can be wild!