The mantis belongs to the Mantodea order of insects. Its more well-known English name is the “praying mantis”, which identifies the insect for the “praying” posture its two front, spiked limbs, or “raptorial legs” (meant for catching and grasping this insect’s prey), fold into. Praying mantids can see up to 20 meters with their compound eyes (made up thousands of photoreceptor cell clusters) that afford them a binocular field of vision and precise, stereoscopic vision for close ranges. The mantis is an insect that hunts (and largely by ambushing its prey, since it is camouflaged either by coloration or environmental mimicry, standing perfectly still until its target is close by that it either can grasp it or it can easily pursue), relying heavily on its vision. Many mantid species will fly at night (to avoid predators such as birds), especially males looking for the less mobile females. One neat trick up the mantis’s sleeve is that it has a special organ that allows it to detect the echolocation of bats and ultimately avoid and evade these predators. The mantid’s diet changes as matures/grows, starting off by eating small insects (and even its own siblings!), and larger mantid species prey upon small creatures such as lizards, frogs, birds, snakes, fish, and rodents.
Praying mantids have been used as a natural/biological form of pest control (some gardening stores have sold mantis egg cases for this reason). However, while mantids will eat pests, they will also prey on beneficial insects, so this form of pest control is not without a few drawbacks. While the insect has involved in many Western writings, as well as a representation of courage and fearlessness in some ancient Chinese texts (i.e. the Erya), one of the most interesting cultural takes on the mantis come in the form of Martial Arts. Two different Chinese fighting styles/arts have come about based on the mantis itself. In Southern African indigenous mythology, the mantid is viewed as a god, which only further exemplifies how it is viewed with respect and admiration.
As a kid, my brother and I would often go outside to catch insects, such as grasshoppers and the like, and a praying mantis was always the best and most fascinating find. I hope to “fascinate” the viewers of my final image series/renders with my mantid subjects as the insect fascinated me as a child.