Giant Asian mantis

The giant Asian mantis is a big praying mantis with a long neck and a thin, stick-like body. It can be bright green or brown. It sits very still in trees and bushes, then grabs insects with its spiky front legs.

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Fun facts
When the wind blows, it sways its body to look like a leaf moving in the breeze.
Before it strikes, it rocks from side to side to work out how far away its prey is.
If it grabs a bombardier beetle, the beetle sprays hot chemicals and the mantis lets go and cleans itself.
In Korea, scientists watch this mantis to see how a warmer climate changes nature. It is spreading into cooler places.
The females are a bit bigger than the males, about 6 centimetres long.
Most asked questions about Giant Asian mantis
?Is the giant Asian mantis dangerous?
No. It is harmless to people, though a big one may pinch a little.
?What does the giant Asian mantis eat?
Other insects, mostly small plant-sucking bugs.
?How big is the giant Asian mantis?
About 5 to 6 centimetres long. Females are bigger than males.
For bug experts
- Scientific name
- Hierodula patellifera
- Group
- Mantises
- Family
- Mantidae
- Classification
- Insecta > Mantodea > Mantidae
- Lives on
- Asia, Australia and Oceania, Europe
- Also known as
- Asian mantis, Indochina mantis
Where the facts come from
- Hierodula patellifera (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 KENPEI. CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons. The sticker of this bug is drawn from this picture.
If we got something wrong, sorry, we are bug fans, not a science journal. Tell us at [email protected] and we will fix it.
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