A praying mantis peers down

Praying Mantis staring

I posted recently (here) about finding the exoskeleton of a praying mantis after it had molted. It’s possible the mantis in this photo is the one that shed that skin, since I saw it in the same vicinity.

This mantis was stationed where a wall meets a ceiling and it was staring straight down that wall at me. I like this photo because I think it captures the mantis’s rather piercing stare.

A couple of days before I took this photo, another mantis, slightly bigger than this one, was perched on a Pepsi machine in the same vicinity. It was watching me as I went back and forth. Eventually, when I paused, it leapt onto my head. I reached up and encouraged it onto my hand, where it paused a moment before scampering up my arm. So I interposed my other hand, which it duly climbed onto. Cue the mantis then scampering up that arm. We did this little dance a few times before I managed to maneuver the mantis onto a deck rail. It perched there a while and then eventually flew off.

I guess I’m in a praying mantis purple patch.

5 thoughts on “A praying mantis peers down”

  1. naturebackin's avatarnaturebackin

    Their direct stare can be a bit unnerving as they seem to be making eye contact – not something many insects appear to do. They sure can scamper too. Also a bit unnerving when it is up one’s arm, albeit amusing in retrospect! I got very fond of the flower mantis we had in our garden for a time, so I know what you mean about them somehow being endearing 🙂

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    1. Graham's avatarGraham Post author

      Since I know they’re not dangerous, the scampering up the arm was funny at the time. The eye contact thing is interesting as I could see this going on when I was walking by and I kind of knew it was gong to jump on me. Mostly, when I see creatures making eye contact it’s because they’re waiting for you to look away which is when they’ll take off and disappear.

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