The mantis waits motionless for an appropriately sized insect (though larger mantises have been known to eat small reptiles and birds) to come within range. The mantis often patiently waits until the insect is close enough, then strikes with its forelegs, capturing the insect. However, sometime the mantis actually pursues the insect by creeping closer. It is surprising how slowly and fluidly the mantis can move. As the mantis approaches, it often sways back and forth, perhaps mimicing the foliage swaying in the breeze that it resembles. When the time is right, the mantis suddenly leans foward and its front legs snap out and grab the insect.
The mantis almost always starts eating the insect while it is still alive, and almost always goes straight for the insect's neck: this way, the mantis makes sure that the struggling of the insect stops quickly.
Mantises are famous in many cultures. In some cultures, they are considered holy. Some believe that if you are lost, and you see a mantis, that you should go in the direction it is facing: that will lead you home. Others think that the mantis always 'prays' facing Mecca. The mantis is also famous for its almost human mating habits -- when the male and female are done mating, the female eats the male...
Praying mantises in North America are usually green or brown, and adult insects range in size from 2 to 6 inches. Common mantises in the United States include the Chinese Mantis and the Carolina Mantis. Mantis babies usually hatch from their frothy egg-masses in late April or May, or whenever the weather begins to warm up, depending on the region. Mantis babies are wingless, but otherwise resemble the adults (this is an important distinction in classifying insects). By August, mantises that have survived are adult, and by September or October, most of them die.
In the bodies of some species of mantis there is a hollow chamber. A fairly recent discovery is that these chambers provide the mantis with a means for detecting one of their most feared predators: bats. Apparently, the mantis in flight will drastically change its flight pattern (often hurling directly to the ground in a crazy spiral) when certain frequencies of sound are 'heard' by the mantis. This was established in an experiment involving some mantises, a very large gymnasium, and some sophisticated cameras and recordings of bats. The researchers discovered, as well, that the louder the bat noises were played, the more drastic the mantis' flight pattern would change. As soon as I recover it, I will post a reference to the article that I got this information from. Anyone who knows where this comes from should email me and let me know if I don't get to it first.
Possibly the best Mantis dedicated link on the web:
Mantis/Entymology related links: