"Reviews current understanding of mantid biology related to their taxonomy and morphology, reproduction, neurobiology, ecology, and defense strategies." -- Choice

Prepare to be enchanted with an in-depth and up-close view of the most loved of all invertebrates, the praying mantis! Keeping the Praying Mantis is a huge resource designed to give mantis enthusiasts every tool needed for feeding, housing, and rearing these magical (almost mythological) creatures. Details on their biology, relationship with man over the ages, behavior, and captive husbandry will give you a solid foundation for successfully keeping fascinating species from around the world. From ant mimics and unicorn mantids to Devil's flower, orchid, and ghost mantids, there are species to entice every insect hobbyist.

Get a bug's-eye-view on the life cycle of the praying mantis, in this hilarious, scientifically accurate Nature Diary following an insect through her whole summer. Finalist for the AAAS/Subaru SB&F Prize for Excellence in Science Books "May 17: I was born today! It's a beautiful, sunny spring day!" This is the diary of P. Mantis, one of 150 brothers and sisters born on a garden bush. P. Mantis is an amazing bug: she can make herself look like a stick to hide from predators, she can swivel her head all the way around, and when she's grown up she'll even be able to fly! In dated journal entries P. Mantis describes the entirety of her life, sharing the fun and beauty of her world as well its little ups and downs ("I ate one of my brothers. Okay, maybe two"). Colorful, bold art helps illustrate the different stages of the mantis life cycle, and the engaging, narrative text is paired with more detailed information about praying mantises on the heavily-illustrated endpapers. Washington Children's Choice Book Award 2019 Nominee A New York Public Library Staff Pick for Children A Junior Library Guild Gold Standard Selection Don't miss the other hilarious entries in The Nature Diary Series! Each one explores the life cycle of an animal in dated journal entries, showing young readers how they grow and change through the seasons-- and offering a few laughs, too! Brightly illustrated and vetted by experts, Paul Meisel's books are a perfect introduction to your backyard neighbors. My Happy Year by E. Bluebird A Junior Library Guild Selection My Stinky Summer by S. Bug A Junior Library Guild Selection

Look quickly and you might just see one of nature’s insect heroes on the hunt—praying mantises! With their incredible hunting skills, mantises help rid farms and gardens of insect pests that bother humans. Praying mantises have big eyes that face forward, heads that can turn, and spines on their front legs to spear their prey. And they are stealthy. Even tiny newly hatched mantises know how to remain still and hide until a prey insect appears. Then—like lightning— the mantis strikes! In this exciting book, you can learn what makes a praying mantis similar to and different from other insects. Close-up photographs and diagrams reveal extraordinary details about mantis bodies, both inside and out. And you can perform an activity that helps you understand just how quickly praying mantises can react while hunting. Are you faster than a mantis? Learn more about this heroic member of nature’s fascinating Insect World!

This peer reviewed text includes a dichotomous key to all 16 genera of Mantodea found in the U.S. and Canada. Extremely detailed descriptions are provided for each of the 28 species found within this region. One newly listed invasive species is documented, raising the total number of introduced species to seven-25% of the region's Mantodea fauna. Updated species treatments include taxonomic illustrations, precise morphological descriptions, accurate morphometry, complete natural history documentation, exhaustive historical literature review, and detailed distribution range maps. There are 183 illustrations contained within the 297 pages of text, including 120 color photographs of live specimens.

Describes the hunting activities of various bugs, including the praying mantis, wood ant, and dragonfly.