Actual size 25mm, Queensland Australia
Canon EOS 300D and MP-E 65mm, f/14, 1/200 with fill in flash
A mantid nymph (identified as such due to the curved abdomen and lack
of wings). Photograph demonstrates well the modified grasping
claws. This mantid was almost impossible to spot due to it's exact
match in colour with it's surroundings.
Note the two modified
front legs which serve as raptorial claws. The prothorax is elongated,
and the insect is able to move its head multiple planes of freedom. Mantids
are almost entirely visual hunters, and are one of the most aggressive
predators of the insect world; attacking and subduing prey three times their size.
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