Mantises, very still.
An insect that can look over its shoulder, sees in 3D and once wore tiny glasses for science. One looks so much like a flower that insects come to it. Every fact here is traced to a source and dated where it can change. There are games, printables, and an eraser called Useless who has been practising standing very still.
The short version
Praying mantises get their name from the way they hold up their front legs, as if praying. The word mantis comes from the Greek for ‘prophet’. Amateur Entomologists’ Society: Praying Mantids (Order Mantodea) The legs aren’t really praying, of course: they are held ready to grab anything that strays too close. Amateur Entomologists’ Society: Praying Mantids (Order Mantodea)
Mantises are insects in their own order, called Mantodea. They were once grouped with grasshoppers and crickets. Amateur Entomologists’ Society: Praying Mantids (Order Mantodea) Their closest relatives are the cockroaches and termites. Natural History Museum, London: Small orders collection (Mantodea)
Most mantises live in tropical or subtropical places. Britannica: Mantis Females are usually larger than males. Australian Museum: Praying mantises (Order Mantodea)
And they’re patient. Most mantises are ambush predators: they wait for prey rather than chase it. Britannica: Mantis See how on the hunting page.
- The Oxford museum’s insect guide gives 1,800 species worldwide. Oxford University Museum of Natural History: Mantodea · checked 31 Oct 2026
- Britannica gives approximately 2,000 species. Britannica: Mantis · checked 31 Oct 2026
- The Amateur Entomologists’ Society says roughly 2,300 species have been described. Amateur Entomologists’ Society: Praying Mantids (Order Mantodea) · checked 31 Oct 2026
- The Canadian Encyclopedia gives about 2,400 species worldwide, most of them in the tropics. The Canadian Encyclopedia: Mantid · checked 31 Oct 2026
- The Natural History Museum, London, says there are over 2,500 known species. Natural History Museum, London: Small orders collection (Mantodea) · checked 31 Oct 2026
Five trusted sources, five figures, from 1,800 to over 2,500. New species are still being described and some figures are older or rounder than others, so treat them all as snapshots. Every disagreement we found →
Start somewhere
Heads, legs & wingsA swivelling head, spiny front legs and an ear for bats.
3D glasses for mantisesHow Newcastle scientists proved insects can see in 3D.
Ambush huntersWaiting, disguises, and what mantises eat.
The orchid mantisThe insect that looks like a flower, and catches the visitors.
Egg case to adultFoam that sets hard, young on threads and wings at the last moult.
Where they liveEighteen species in Europe, none wild in Britain.
The species8 mantises from four continents.
Mantises and peopleNames, superstitions and egg cases for sale.
Tile pictures are credited on their pages and on the credits page.
The insect that wore 3D glasses
To test it, a team at Newcastle University made tiny 3D glasses for mantises and fixed them on with beeswax. Newcastle University, 7 January 2016: Tiny glasses confirm 3D vision in insects In an ‘insect cinema’, the mantises ignored bugs shown in 2D but struck at bugs shown in 3D, floating in front of the screen. Newcastle University, 7 January 2016: Tiny glasses confirm 3D vision in insects The full story →
And the one that looks like a flower
The orchid mantis has four back legs widened into flat ‘petals’, so it looks remarkably like a white flower. O’Hanlon 2016, Current Biology quick guide: Orchid mantis In field experiments, lone orchid mantises attracted pollinating insects even more often than real flowers did, and caught them. O’Hanlon, Holwell & Herberstein 2014, The American Naturalist (peer-reviewed, via PubMed): Pollinator deception in the orchid mantis Meet the orchid mantis →
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Mantis printables
Fact-checked PDFs in A4 and US Letter.
Mantis Species Fact Cards
Fact cards for the European, Chinese, Carolina, ground, Mediterranean, orchid, garden and purple-winged mantises, plus fact cards on mantis bodies, with a Mantis or Not? sorting game
Mantis Life Cycle Pack
Egg case, nymph, moulting and adult: sequencing cards, a life cycle wheel, label-the-mantis and an observation diary, with answer keys
Mantis Spotter’s Pack
A mantis spotting checklist, a camouflage hunt, record sheets, a where-in-the-world map page and a field notebook cover
Mantis Activity & Colouring Pack
Colouring pages, draw-a-mantis, a maze, word search and spot-the-difference puzzles for ages 4 to 9
Mantis Facts Poster Set
Six fact-checked posters, from 3D glasses and bat-detecting ears to the orchid mantis and the egg case
Mantis Quiz & Word Puzzles Pack
A crossword, code breaker, fill-the-gap facts, true or false, myth busters and a 20-question quiz, with answer keys
Best valueThe Complete Mantis Printables Bundle
All six packs plus a guide, A4 and US Letter, in one download.