Ever seen a Mantis that resembles an Ant? Well, just two posts back I posted about Ant-Mimic Spiders, and now, here I am, posting about an Ant-Mimic Mantis. Well, I was roaming around the Nature Trail in the West Coast Park Marshland when I heard one of the Sec 1's say 'Praying Mantis'. I rushed to the spot and asked them if they had seen any, and all they did was point their fingers at a tiny black insect on the plant. At first look, it seemed like an ant to me, but not too long did it take me to realize that it was actually a Mantis! I started taking my photographs quickly: I didn't want to miss this opportunity.
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This tiny mantis is indeed a Ant-Mimic Mantis. It may not appear in such a way so as to catch and feed on ants, but it could be so because ants are very fierce insects that have a very nasty bite. This mantis, which I suppose is a juvenile, may not have very good defence when it is attacked by predators, but by acting and having a similar appearance of an ant, the predators may leave it alone, hoping not to be bitten. This is one fascinating way of defence for these tiny creatures.
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Almost all my photographs here are cropped up images as my camera did not have such a good macro lens. Anyway, by cropping, I can choose how big the picture size should be.
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As the mantis walked aroung slowly, I managed to get a few shots of it grooming itself. These are two of my best:
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This was one incredible insect. Well, it soon started to get rather nervous hid on the underside of the leaf. We left it alone, hoping it would not scare himself to death. What a great find.
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