California mantis
The California mantis is a praying mantis from the warm, dry southwest of the United States. It can be green, yellow or brown. It sits very still in bushes and waits for insects to come close.
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Fun facts
Its babies are all black and look like ants, which helps keep them safe.
It usually lives less than one year, and grown-ups do not survive the winter.
Males fly better than females, because their wings are much longer.
Its back wings are reddish under the mottled front wings.
Males are often drawn to bright lights at night, as if they think the light is the moon.
Most asked questions about California mantis
?Is the California mantis dangerous?
No. It is a hunter of insects and harmless to people.
?How long does a California mantis live?
Usually less than nine months, and hardly ever more than a year.
For bug experts
- Scientific name
- Stagmomantis wheelerii
- Group
- Mantises
- Family
- Mantidae
- Classification
- Insecta > Mantodea > Mantidae
- Lives on
- North America
Where the facts come from
- Stagmomantis wheelerii (Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0): what it looks like, where it lives, what it eats, sizes and fun facts, retold in simple words.
- Picture by Jbjensen1. CC BY 4.0, Wikimedia Commons. The sticker of this bug is drawn from this picture.
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