African twig mantis
Popa spurca
The African twig mantis is a praying mantis from Africa. It looks just like a little twig from a tree or bush. That clever disguise helps it hide.
Lives in
Africa, on trees and bushes
Length
7 to 8 cm (2.8 to 3.1 in)
females are a little bigger than malesCan it hurt you?
Harmless
Harmless to people. It is a twig look-alike that only hunts insects.
What does it eat?
Like other mantises, it catches insects with its spiky front legs.
How big is it?
How long is it?
🧱as long as 2.5 toy building bricks in a row🍽️could run across a dinner table in 3 seconds
How big is African twig mantis compared to YOU?
Just maths in your browser. Nothing is saved or sent anywhere.
How fast is it?
A tortoise about 0.3 km/h (0.19 mph)
African twig mantis about 1.2 km/h (0.75 mph)
A person walking about 5 km/h (3.1 mph)
A kid running fast about 13 km/h (8.1 mph)
cool stuff
Fun facts
1
A grown-up female can be up to 8 centimetres long, about as long as a grown-up's finger.
2
The male is a bit smaller, up to about 7 centimetres.
3
Like all mantises, it holds its spiky front legs folded up, ready to grab an insect.
you asked
Most asked questions about African twig mantis
?How big is the African twig mantis?
The female grows up to about 8 centimetres long and the male up to about 7 centimetres.
?What does the African twig mantis eat?
Like other mantises, it hunts insects.
For bug experts
- Scientific name
- Popa spurca
- Group
- Mantises
- Classification
- Insecta > Mantodea
- Lives on
- Africa
Where the facts come from
- Popa spurca (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 Mydriatic. CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons. The sticker of this bug is drawn from this picture.
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