A scientist has discovered 19 new species of super-speedy praying mantises that roam Central and South America, a new study says. The insects belong to a group called bark mantises, which are flatter and broader than the more commonly known mantis. “They almost look like cockroaches with a narrow front end,” said Gavin Svenson, curator of invertebrate…
By James Owen The only praying mantis native to New Zealand has developed a fatal attraction for a cannibal invader whose females devour its mates after sex, scientists report. Males of the New Zealand mantis (Orthodera novaezealandiae) are being seduced into serving themselves up as meals to females of the springbok mantis (Miomantis caffra), a…
It may look pretty, but this “orchid” actually has a trick under its, well, leaves—it’s actually a praying mantis trying to get a meal. Until recently, scientists weren’t sure if this flower mimic was accurate enough to deceive bugs. Now, a new study says it is—and it’s the first scientific evidence of an animal imitating a…
It may look pretty, but this “orchid” actually has a trick under its, well, leaves—it’s actually a praying mantis trying to get a meal. Until recently, scientists weren’t sure if this flower mimic was accurate enough to deceive bugs. Now, a new study says it is—and it’s the first scientific evidence of an animal imitating a…