the.com/mantis
the only insect with a neck that turns to watch you leave
means A predatory insect with a triangular head and long, folded front legs held as if in prayer, which it uses to snatch unsuspecting prey.
from From the Greek μάντις (mantis), meaning "prophet" or "diviner" — the ancients saw those upraised, folded forelegs and imagined a seer in the act of prophecy. The same root feeds words like "mania," tied to the Greek idea of inspired, possessed states of mind, the kind that might grant visions.
- head swivel
- rotates 180 degrees to track prey
- single ear
- one ear in the middle of its chest
- deadly cuddle
- females sometimes eat mates mid-romance
- strike speed
- snatches prey in under 50 milliseconds
- bird hunter
- big species drag hummingbirds from feeders
mantis shrimp — ocean predator with 16 color receptors and strike speed of 50 mph, found in tropical waters
praying mantis — mantis religiosa, european species with triangular head and raptorial front legs, common garden predator
dead leaf mantis — deroplatys lobata, malaysian species that mimics dead leaves for camouflage, found in southeast asia