I saw this Praying Mantis pair mating when we were in Kingsport. Notice how much larger the female's abdomen is. She got distracted when I came over with the camera, so the male took advantage of the break, jumped and took off. He was one of the lucky males who mated and lived to tell about it! ;)
Mantids are one of the few insects that can move their head. They have huge compound eyes. The legs have large spikes that they use to hold their prey.
Dictyoptera (Mantodea) This green male Chinese Mantid (Praying Mantises are all brown) was resting on a wooden bridge at Big Ridge State Park. He has a much thinner abdomen than the egg-laying females. The female often eats her mate while they are mating! As gruesome as this sounds, the protein she consumes from his body insures a healthy next generation of praying mantises! If it is any consolation, most insects die after mating and egg laying anyway!
