Sienna Tohar Week 3 - Flower or Insect?

     A few months ago, just a bit into the start of quarantining, I came upon this short video in my Youtube recommendations called “Orchid Mantis baby’s” (yes, it was spelled exactly like that). The video, though short (I believe around 30 seconds or so), for some strange reason stuck with me. At first glance, there’s a hand with these tiny creatures walking about on it. They’re colorful, delicate, and pretty energetic insects. Soon enough, I learned that these dainty little things are called Hymenopus coronatus (ironic time to find out about such a name), or, more frequently, Orchid  Mantises. 

    Now, before I even realized if I was frightened or intrigued by them, I just couldn’t help but be enchanted by their beauty! These insects look just like walking flowers (and if you’re a sucker for flowers like me, you’ll probably be just as taken aback by them as I was). I’ve never really thought of myself as an “insect person” just because up close, many of them can seem pretty strange and (for lack of a better word/s) creepy or disturbing to me, but there are a few here and there that I love like ladybugs, fireflies, dragonflies, (some!) beetles, butterflies, bees, moths (especially Luna Moths, but that could be for another day), the list can just go on! But, there are some insects that just absolutely terrify me, like cockroaches, spiders, those huge centipedes, that giant Asian hornet, this thing called an Emerald cockroach wasp (this one is seriously disturbing and has such a strange reproductive method), and so on! The list of insects that scare me is probably much larger than the one of insects that fascinate me. I’ve had nightmares about most of these, too (not fun)! But, anyway, I just wanted to acknowledge that before I get into the Orchid Mantises (and I couldn’t  just go on about my day and not learn more about them! So, of course I sought articles and videos to learn more)

Orchid Mantises are honestly so beautiful to me. Their bodies look like orchid petals (hence the name) including all types of colors you’d find on an orchid. That short youtube video I mentioned featured some baby mantises, so they were extra small and extra cute (?), but when full grown, these insects are around the size of the actual flowers (surprise, surprise). They look like this to imitate the flower (as still as they possibly can, only moving their heads most of the time) and use it as a hunting setting. The males ( two inches) are typically half the size of females (four inches), and can, at times, fall victim to rather cannibalistic behavior involving the ripping of heads. 

While these creatures are quite appealing to the eye, they can be vigorous and aggressive when agitated or devouring their lunch. They mostly appear in Southeast Asia around Thailand, Malaysia, Indonesia, and Myanmar. 

Their diet consists mostly of insects, but they also tend to feast on flies, beetles, frogs, birds, mice, bees, crickets, and turtles. Most of the time, Orchid Mantises are not harmful when minding their own business, but when provoked and bothered, they bite (this includes humans)! However, their bites aren’t really a big deal since they’re said to be like most bug bites (since they don’t have venom in them, the most one might get from an Orchid Mantis bite is skin irritation). 

But, anyway, that, ladies and gentlemen, is a brief explanation of the Orchid Mantis. I feel like the more research I do, the more I find myself captivated by more and more insects! I mean, I’ll admit, I wouldn’t want to walk barefoot in a rainforest full of these things, but, wow, they’re so pretty! They’re also pretty popular among insect pets. So, I guess I’m pretty happy that I know more about these. It’s so interesting to me how some insects can look so scary and some so beautiful. 

So, what do you think? Do you find them pretty or weird/creepy? Are there any other insects that make you feel the same way? Until next time!

https://praying-mantis.org/orchid-mantis-facts/