Giant Asian Mantis Hierodula membranacea

Mantises are called "Praying" Mantis because their folded-together front feet when hunting looks like praying (a praying preying mantis). The Giant Asian Mantis is native to forests of Southeast Asia.

Mantises are carnivorous and cannibalistic. They will eat any insect prey that they can catch. Their triangular heads can turn 180 degrees and their 5 eyes are quick to see movement. They are the only animals to have only one ear; it's on their neck. Although they look like stick or leaf insects, they are related to cockroaches and termites.

While most are green, they can also be brown or yellow, changing over time to match their environment/season. The camouflage is both for hunting and for their own protection from predators.

Adult females are 8-9cm long and males 7-8cm and much thinner (and often on the females' menu). Females lay a foam-like sac called an "ootheca" from which hundreds of baby mantises hatch.