Praying Mantis_VS_Extra Long Fly Swatter

Praying Mantis

These insects get their name because they have very long front legs that they hold in a position that reminds people of praying.

There are about 1,800 species of praying mantids around the world.

People often refer to any mantid as a praying mantis, but mantises are part of a smaller group within the mantids.

Praying mantids are carnivores, eating mainly insects and other small animals.

Many gardeners and farmers welcome mantids, because the insects they eat are often pests that hurt crops.

In addition to insects such as crickets and grasshoppers, mantids eat spiders, frogs, lizards, and even small birds.