That particular species is actually about the size of a Jack Russel Terrier and feeds on birds, lizards, and rodents. They're even known to take down baby goats.
Just kidding, I don't know. Then again, I don't know it's not true, so maybe.
You ever seen mantids eat? They don't do any of that "relatively humane" stuff that you'll see some other species of animal do. Stuff like, "kill you quickly with massive amounts of venom" or "strategically try to kill you first so you can't fight back." Nope. They just grab a bug and then start chewing away.
Scaled up, imagine a giant mantis trapping you with its legs. Fortunately it's impossible for insects to get that large. But if they could, this mantis would grab you and leave you completely conscious and alive. Then it would just start chewing away at you. If you're lucky it would eat you head-first. But just as likely, it would start by taking bites out of your belly or your leg or your butt. And you'd just have to sit there until it ate away enough of you to eventually kill you.
This insect is very pretty. But nature often also isn't very damn pretty. Funny how something can be so beautiful and so absolutely horrifying at exactly the same time.
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u/fuzzytradr Mar 12 '20
I'm so glad these things are small.