How Praying Mantises Confuse Predators by Imitating Plants

The squad of insects captured in this extraordinary YouTube clip is among the most visually striking you are likely to come across. They look like exotic plants or delicate mini-sculptures, but they are, in fact, all mantises. The Mantodea order of insects is large, and its members are distributed widely across the planet. They are also diverse in terms of appearance, but all have elongated forelegs, giving them an upright (praying) posture. This is how they got their common name: the praying mantises. This squad is staying very still—until one of them is approached by a human finger, which triggers a swift response. However, before we rush to judge the situation too quickly, let’s take a closer look at what makes mantises behave in the way they do.

Trying to Look Like a Plant

There are over 2,400 species of mantids worldwide, with about 22 species found in North America. These include the native Carolina mantid, Stagmomantus Carolina, which is a mottled, dusty brown color. The aim of every mantis is to blend in as much as possible with their natural surroundings. Some have evolved to look just like leaves, while others resemble different parts of plants. There are a few that can even change color to suit their surroundings.

The five mantids in the clip have been placed on floor tiles, making it difficult for them to blend in. Nevertheless, you will notice that their initial method of defense when faced with a threat, such as a camera being placed close to them, is to stay very still, just as a plant would. Some will even sway back and forth to look just like a plant moving in the breeze. The spiders, birds, and bats that feed on them would probably be fooled and move on.

Is the Mantis Being Aggressive?

Interpreting animal behavior through the lens of human experience and emotion can be problematic. What we may interpret as aggression is often predatory or defensive behavior. These are both actions that animals have no choice over – they have to act like this to survive. At the end of the clip, a person places their finger extremely close to one mantis and moves it around. To an insect, the finger could be perceived as either a predator that intends to eat them or as potential prey that they want to consume.

The mantis’ approach to hunting is very similar to their defensive method, i.e., staying very still. They are ambush hunters and wait with their front legs raised until some prey is within pouncing distance. You can see the mantis in the foreground demonstrating this behavior. As the finger approaches, it moves incredibly fast, and the finger is grasped with the front legs. These have spikes that help to hold the prey still as they eat it. They are not particularly selective about what they eat and will grab anything that appears to be the right size.

A Lucky Escape?

So, was the human victim in this clip in any danger? No, praying mantises do bite, but they very rarely bite humans. They are not venomous, and their bite is unlikely to cause serious harm as they are so small. The mantis in this clip soon realizes that the finger is not edible and quickly releases it.

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