What's up, guys? It's me, Mr. Wright. This is my first time writing here on read.cash and I hope that all of you that reads this will like it. Enjoy reading everyone!
Why are snakes scared of mantis?
Usually, the way how the animal food chain works in the wild is very predictable. The snake will prey on the mouse. The frog and lizards will eat the insects. But it is not the case for the mantis. Although they are pretty small and doesn't look like it was that strong, their appearance is deceptive. The ones you have thought of as prey are shockingly one of the most dangerous and stern, the appearance of this insect was really deceptive.
With a length of 1-6 inches, a mantis could kill an animal that is double or triple its size. This is because of the structure of their whole body. Their head is shaped like a triangle that is supported with a long neck and a broad chest, they also have two big complex eyes and has also three small eyes between those two eyes. That is why there is no movement around them that they won't notice. Moreover, their bodies can reach their prey, using the spikes on their forelegs they pull their victims and confine them with their death grip. The spikes help on keeping their prey and for the victim not to get away from their grip.
What is even more amazing is that according to scientists, mantis can calculate the exact amount of power, speed, and range of the attack like a programmed insect. Because of this, they can regulate the speed of impact depending on the speed of their target. They also know if their calculations were wrong and with that, they will stop their attack to adjust and correct the power, speed of its impact. It is hard to see with our naked eyes that is why we need to see it on slow-mo for us to see it clearly.
The victims don't expect what is about to happen to them from the mantis. This is because of their ability to turn their head up to 180 degrees that help them detect the location of their possible victim. Moreover, they also have the ability of the mantis not to move for a long period of time and blend in with the leaves, grass, flowers, and some flowers or leaves. They can also mimic the movements of the plants for their camouflage to be more effective. If their victim is near, it is already time for them to attack. A mantis can kill a bird, frog, mouse, and other bigger animals. That is why it is not that surprising that they could kill some small insects like moths, crickets, grasshopper, etc.
One of the most surprising things about mantis is that they could kill one of the animals that we are afraid of which is the snake. Most of their victims are the small ones. They are using the wide space under their legs to make their attack on the snakes more stable. Because of their extraordinary speed, the snakes couldn't get out of the mantis' grip. The mantis knows very well the weak points of its victims, that's why they always attack the head of their victims first. Even if the snakes try to get out or break from being held, the mantis already starts eating the head of the snake and eats the body next. Aside from their accurate and powerful attacks, they also have a good defense system.
For example:
If there was a predator that goes near them, they will stand tall and will spread their wings for them to look like someone big and intimidating.
They also have a natural pattern on their exoskeleton and they can also create hissing sounds from their abdominal airways that are good for defense and to scare their potential predators, and if their tactics didn't work, they still have some choices of attacks to choose from. They can use their front legs to attacks or pinch the body of their enemy, they can also bite using their sharp teeth that are enough to cause damage to the predator.
You? Have you seen a mantis?
Thank you for taking the time to read and I hope that you enjoyed reading.
This article is very informative. I wish I have that character of a mantis that's always brave and never quits. Even snakes are afraid of it. Just wow 💯