Praying mantises are formidable insects known for their predatory habits. Recognized by their distinctive upright posture, these captivating creatures are carnivores that actively hunt and consume other organisms. Their diet reflects their identity as efficient hunters.
Primary Food Sources
The diet of a praying mantis primarily consists of live insects. As generalist predators, they consume a wide variety of arthropods, including flies, moths, crickets, grasshoppers, and beetles. Prey size typically depends on the mantis’s own size, with larger mantises tackling bigger insects.
Young mantises, known as nymphs, start with smaller fare like fruit flies and aphids. As they grow, they progressively consume larger insects. This adaptability allows them to thrive in diverse environments.
How Mantises Hunt
Mantises are ambush predators, relying on stealth and patience. They often camouflage themselves within their surroundings, blending with leaves, twigs, or even flowers, waiting for prey to come within striking distance. Some species, like the orchid mantis, mimic flowers to actively lure prey closer.
Their hunting success is due to their specialized forelegs, known as raptorial legs. These powerful, spiky limbs are designed to snap shut with lightning speed, preventing prey from escaping. Mantises also possess exceptional vision, with large compound eyes that provide a wide field of view and excellent depth perception for precise tracking and striking.
Dietary Variations and Cannibalism
While insects form the bulk of their diet, larger mantis species can occasionally prey on small vertebrates. Documented instances include mantises capturing and consuming small lizards, frogs, and even hummingbirds. These occurrences are less common but highlight their opportunistic predatory nature.
Cannibalism is a notable behavior observed in praying mantises, particularly among mates. Female mantises sometimes consume the male during or after mating. While this behavior is often exaggerated, it occurs in less than 30% of mating encounters in the wild. One hypothesis suggests this provides the female with additional nutrients for egg production, potentially benefiting the male’s genetic legacy.
Feeding Pet Mantises
For pet mantises, providing an appropriate diet of live feeder insects is important. Young nymphs thrive on small insects such as flightless fruit flies. As they mature, larger feeder insects like crickets, locusts, blue and green bottle flies, and dubia roaches are suitable.
Variety in the diet is beneficial for balanced nutrition. Feeders should be gut-loaded with nutritious food themselves to pass on those benefits to the mantis. It is recommended to feed mantises every two to three days, though this can vary by species, age, and activity level. Wild-caught insects should be avoided as they may carry pesticides or parasites, and certain insects like ants or bees are not recommended due to potential harm or defensive mechanisms.