Mantis with eggs
| Title | Info |
|---|---|
| Common name | Mantis |
| Scientific name | Mantodea |
| Taxonomic group | Insecta |
| Level | Order |
| Source | Dan L. Perlman |
| Ecosystems | Forests |
| Forests | Tropical rainforest |
| Ecological interactions | Predation |
| Selection and adaptations | Coloration; Selection |
| Coloration | Camouflage |
| Selection | Convergence; Morphology |
| Behavior | Parental |
| Organisms | Animals |
| Animals | Insects |
| Location | Costa Rica,North America |
Related materials: Mantis and Mantis fly
Compare this image with that of the mantis fly to see the convergent evolution of their raptorial forelimbs.
Mantis female with egg mass, Costa Rica. This female mantis stood in roughly this same position for three days, guarding her large gray egg mass. She may have stayed there longer, but the field biology course on which the photographer was teaching left the region. Note her superb leaf-like camouflage, her powerful grasping front limbs, and her widely spaced compound eyes, which probably help her gauge distance to her prey before a strike. Compare the form of her front limbs with those of the mantis fly, a totally unrelated insect.
