Praying mantis

Meet praying mantis—one more extraordinary life to discover.

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A CLOSER LOOK

A reference overview

Mantises are an order (Mantodea) of insects that contains over 2,400 species in about 460 genera in 33 families. The largest family is the Mantidae ("mantids"). Mantises are distributed worldwide in temperate and tropical habitats.

Overview excerpt from Wikipedia contributors · Mantis, under CC BY-SA 4.0. Excerpt may be shortened. Overview retrieved 2026-10-09.

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The evidence behind this discovery

Source-linked

This overview is attributed to Wikipedia contributors and was retrieved on 2026-10-09. Retrieval is not independent scientific review.

Reference media

The picture has a linked creator and license. Extinct-animal images may show a fossil, specimen or reconstruction; a reconstruction is not a photograph of the living animal.

Scope and uncertainty

Map points represent selected regions, not complete ranges or live sightings. References and identifications can change. A linked source is not an expert certification.

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Monarch butterfly ↗

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Praying mantis

A reference overview

The evidence behind this discovery

Where will this discovery take you?

Monarch butterfly ↗

What can a picture tell you? ↗

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