what do you know about the preying mantids? how do you know if this is an animal?
TRANSCRIPT
What do you know aboutthe preying mantids?
How do you knowif this is an animal?
This living thing haseyes, legs, a mouth
a body covered with wings,and other parts that help
us know that it is anANIMAL!
How do you knowif this animal is anINVERTEBRATE
orVERTEBRATE?
This animal is aninvertebrate because
it hasNO BACKBONE!
This living thingis an
ANIMALthat is an
INVERTEBRATE.But how can you
know if it isan insect?
Three Body Sections head
thorax
abdomen
Three Pairs of Legs
1
2
3
One pair of antennae
1
Mantids are easy to recognize. Their front legs look like a T-Rex.
These legs are adapted for capturing prey.
The rows of long and short spines along the front legs snatch and cut prey with raptor-like speed.
A single spine at the tip of the front legsacts as a hook to help snag a prey and bring it to the waiting jaws.
The mantids’ jaws are strong enough to cut through our skin
and can chop even large prey into tiny pieces.
The one thing mantids do pray for is a meal!
They feed only on living prey.
A hungry mantid can eat up to 15 crickets a day.
Large Mantids can even eatsmall birds, frogs and small reptiles
Mantids mimic their surroundings--camouflage.
Mantids see any kind of movementwith their mobile head, that can
turn 180 degrees.
Great vision. Large compound eyes on their small triangular head.
A single ear is found in some mantids on their bellies!
This ear can hearing ultrasonic waves thathelp it avoid being eaten by bats.