July 1954 School Magazine

July, 1954

Brisbane Girls' Grammar School Magazine

Brisbane Girls' Grammar School Magazine

July, 1954

Another member of the Mantidae family, bearing a resem- blance to the mantis, is the stick insect, but it grows to a much larger size. The mantis is of a heavier build with stronger wings, and the stick insect changes its colour and shape only to escape enemies, because it is not a carnivorous creature as its cousin. Many names and legends have been applied to the pray- ing mantis, and the wonderful nest has been attnbut~? with supernatural powers. In Europe it has been called camel cricket," and the Moslems say the mantis bows and prays ~o: wards Mecca. One sixteenth century writer said that if a chilo was lost, he had only to ask the way of a praying mantis, and he would soon find his way home again. In Provence, where the praying mantis is cultivated, the peasants say, that t~e nest of the mantis, or tigno, should always be kept to cure chil- blains, and to rub against an aching tooth. The praying mantis has proved to be a successful pet if kept in a tray with sand and covered with a gauze cloth. H is necessary to feed the creature only once a day, with fresh insects and caterpillars, but it is a most horrifying sight to watch the mantis maul the live insect as it remains petrified in .the clasp of its captor. It is no wonder t~e mantis. has bee~ mck- named the "tiger of the insect world. When Its appellte has been satisfied, the mantis turns its head away and refuses to eat another mouthful. Instinct must tell the creature who is afraid of him, and who would wish to make an attack on his life, for it is known that, when that person enters the room, the mantis fixes his black beady eyes on her, and does not shift his gaze. until that frightened human being is out of sight. The praymg manlls

survive the attacks, but they then proceed to prey on other smaller insects. The front legs of the praying mantis are the strongest of -all, because they are powerfully used to seize and maim some- times larger insects than themselves, while the remaining four legs are slender and weak, making the gait of the insect slow and ungainly. When a mantis is at prayer, waiting for its next meal, the second of each foreleg joint fits into the third joint or femur, hiding the four rows of sharp teeth which seize, and tear the victims apart before they are crushed by the powerful jaws or mandibles. The mantis imbeds its strong, spike-studded forelimbs in anything fl eshy, and it even attacks a human, if one is so fascinated as to pick up the five-inch insect. It is this strong hook which seizes the prey at the back of the neck before the creature is torn apart limb by limb. The pugnacity and deadly armament of the praying mantis have caused them to be matched against one another as game cocks. The mantis, unlike its cousins, does not eat vegetable matter, but ·would rather devour ether insects and caterpillars, while the larger South American species attacks frogs , lizards ond small birds. The honey bee is a highly favoured meal, and "' 'nstitutes a large part of the diet of the mantis. The triangular head is joined to the rest of the body by a short neck, which enables the mantis to turn its head whichever way it wishes, while the heads of other insects form part of the prothorax. When a mantis sees a victim near, he tilts his head, and his large black beady eyes protrude, to hypnotise his prey with fear. He spreads his wings, and stands erect, while the upper portion of his body rhythmically moves up and down to the noise like the puffing of d startled adder. The creature is hypnotised ! It makes one false move forward, and with a l'ghtning snatch by the mantis, the victim is held firmly at the back of the neck by two long hooks. Still petrified, and unable to move, the creature becomes the meal of the ever-hungry mantis, while inedible wings and legs are thnwn aside. The mantis is naturally light green in colour, but it can change its colour and shape to its surroundings. The limbs of the mantis bear foliaceous expansions, which when combined with the green body, resemble a leaf. In tropical regions the mantis has been known to exhibit a resemblance to a flower, and the brown coloured species can resemble withered leaves. Although the change in colour and shape protects the mantid against attacks from enemies, it is the evil-minded mantis which uses this clever devir.e to deceive insects of prey. 14

A PRAYING MANTIS

After the Atta.ck

Flying

15