Praying mantis

They call it the praying mantis because it dose the praying mantis position, when it hides on the leaves it waits to catch a suitable prey. Some of the time it is thought that its name should be
called ‘preying mantis’.

The mantis is green so that it could blend in with the surrounding leaves so that there enemies
couldn't’t see the. This is the only insects that could look behind its self. The praying mantis has
2 pair off wings but it dose not often fly. It has 6 legs and 2 powerful forelegs and a well developed
jaw.

The mantis stalks it victim in till they see an insect coming within reach off its, grasping forelegs.
Its main diet is blowflies, butterflies, wasp, cockroaches. Average length of an adult praying mantis is about 4cm.

A mantis lays it eggs on a small case twig. The Maori name for the praying mantis is Rio or it could
be called whe.