California Fact Sheet

Common Name: Praying Mantis

Scientific Name: californica

Wild Status: Unknown

Habitat: Shrub-lands and deserts

Country: US

Shelter: Plants

Life Span: Less than 1 year

Size: 50-60 mm

Details

The preying mantis possess triangle shaped heads and bulging eyes. Flexible necks and elongated bodies and some have wings. But they all have enlarged forelegs adapted for catching and gripping onto their prey. Because of that they obtained their name for it's stature. With front legs that are bent in a "preying" motion. They are also Carnivorous and naturally camouflaged in their environment. Because their advantage of camouflage, They acquired an advantage of blending and patiently stalk their prey. Which consist of other including flies and grasshoppers. are found worldwide in temperate and tropical habitats.

Cool Facts

• Mantids can turn their heads a full 180 degrees. • They are closely related to cockroaches and termites. • Female mantids sometimes eat their mates. • Mantids have two large compound eyes, but oddly only posses one ear. Which is located on it's underside. • Mantids are in the family, and are invertebrates.

Taxonomic Breakdown

Kingdom: Animalia Phylum: Arthropoda Class: Insecta Order: Mantodea Family: : Stagmomantis Species: S.Californica

Conservation & Helping

Preying mantises are of least concern on the endangered species list, But they do play an important role in our environment and ecosystem. By eating pests they have become beneficial to farmers and gardeners, Preventing harm to crops and plants by eating smaller bugs that tend to feed on them.

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