Orchid mantis
The orchid mantis looks just like a pink and white flower. Its legs are shaped like petals, and it even sways gently as if a breeze were blowing. Insects that come looking for a flower get a big surprise.
How fast is it?
Fun facts
It can change its colour between pink and brown to match where it sits.
Insects find it even more tempting than real flowers.
A little black spot on the end of its body looks like a fly, which helps lure other insects close.
The babies first look like a nasty-tasting bug, so hungry animals leave them alone.
The male can be less than half as big as the female.
Most asked questions about Orchid mantis
?Is the orchid mantis dangerous?
No. It is harmless to people and only hunts small insects.
?What does the orchid mantis eat?
Insects that visit flowers, such as flies, crickets, beetles, small bees and butterflies.
?Why does the orchid mantis look like a flower?
So insects looking for nectar fly right up to it. Then it grabs them.
For bug experts
- Scientific name
- Hymenopus coronatus
- Group
- Mantises
- Family
- Hymenopodidae
- Classification
- Insecta > Mantodea > Hymenopodidae
- Lives on
- Asia
- Also known as
- Walking flower mantis, Orchid-blossom mantis, Pink orchid mantis
Where the facts come from
- Hymenopus coronatus (Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0): what it looks like, where it lives, what it eats, sizes and fun facts, retold in simple words.
- Picture by Luc Viatour. CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons. The round sticker of this bug is cut from the same picture.
If we got something wrong, sorry, we are bug fans, not a science journal. Tell us at [email protected] and we will fix it.
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