7 thoughts on “Here’s the mantis!”

    2. Praying I think. That’s how it is given in my various entomology books. The European Praying Mantis is known to science as Mantis religiosa and both the scientific and vernacular names reflect the way the insect holds its forelegs folded up in front of the face, which supposedly resembles the posture of a praying person. In other languages the resemblance to someone praying is also reflected in the name – for example in German Mantis religiosa is called the Gottesanbeterin (=god-worshipper).

      Of course the mantis is also a predator so ‘preying’ would also be apt but then there are many predatory insects so why single out this one for the name?

      Notwithstanding appearances or the various names bestowed on them I think we can be certain that the insects have no religious sense whatsoever and do not engage in efforts to communicate with the gods! 🙂

  3. I didn’t find it. She’s huge!

    Serendipitydawg @1, I’ve always heard it as praying. Because the way they hold their front limbs at rest looks a bit like someone praying. Until they eat you, that is. I think if I were a bug, I’d find them far more terrifying than spiders. They look a lot more calculating.

    1. I’m with you Eric, Mark’s comment was:

      .., because there is nothing in the insect world like a preying mantis.

      with the ‘e’ of preying underlined, so I assumed I had got it wrong all these yeats 🙂

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