A praying mantis, or praying mantid, is a kind of insect,
of the family Mantidae (order Mantodea), named for their
"prayer-like" stance. (The word mantis in Greek
means prophet.) There are approximately 2,000 species
world-wide; most are tropical or subtropical. There are
three species of praying mantises that are common to North
America: the European mantis (Mantis religiosa), the Chinese
mantis (Tenodera aridifolia sinensis), and the Carolina
mantis (Stagomantis carolina). The English and Chinese
species were introduced to the United States around the
1900s as garden predators hoping to control the pest populations.
Mantids are notable for their large size and nimble reflexes.
Their diet usually consists of living insects, including
flies and aphids; larger species have been known to prey
on small lizards, frogs, birds and even rodents. A mantid's
prey is caught and held securely with its grasping forelegs.
Mantids make use of protective colouration to blend in
with the foliage, both to avoid predators themselves,
and to better snare their victims.
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